Jeremy Scott’s spring runway was a love letter of sorts to The Old New York — the seedy, sleazy Eighties years, the pre-Rudy Giuliani-era New York — the one with X-rated theaters and sex clubs, soaring crime rates and debauched disco nights. “I always like to have a little bit of fun,” he said.
Well, duh.
In typical Scott fashion, the references were less than subtle — knits emblazoned with “SLIME CITY” or “RATED X,” for example, or a shirtdress covered in an all-over print featuring curvaceous gams in fishnets and red heels — and his sexy girl gang worked the runway with attitude. Red and black patent leather trenchcoats, worn with nothing underneath, winked to a sense of mischief, as did a black patent leather buckled minidress with a cut-out midriff. Elongated cat-eye sunglasses in a graphic checkered pattern, part of a new collaboration with Alain Mikli, underscored the collection’s retro camp.
Exaggerated shoulders on a heart-printed jacket riffed further on the decade’s outsize proportions, as did the leather zip-front bustier tops and a series of colorful, outer space-themed looks that closed the show. “It’s a party dress that had a UFO land on it,” Scott said of the sequined dresses; one, worn by model Stella Maxwell, featured a Saturnlike ring that projected from the hip. “I wanted to make something intergalactic, fun and fabulous.” And that he did.