Moschino’s Ode to Junk Food at Milan Fashion Week

Jeremy Scott is known for putting on a spectacle—his namesake brand has shown pieces adorned with artist Kenny Scharf's pop-art animations, separates printed with grueling monster faces, and, most recently, a collection of furry athletic jerseys entitled "Football Lingerie." So, it was hardly a surprise when Scott was tapped as the new Creative Director for the legendary Italian house Moschino in October, since Scott possesses the same infatuation with color and wit in fashion that the brand's founder, Franco Moschino, also had. Scott debuted his first collection for Moschino on Thursday night in an extravaganza that evoked both Moschino's sensability and Scott's own aesthetic. The show opened with a recognizable red-and-yellow color combination that quickly became cheeky as a Happy Meal container became a high-fashion handbag, a cow-printed suit read "DRINK MOSCHINO" on its back, and a sweatshirt with "MOSCHINO: OVER 20 BILLION SERVED" written under a stylistic take of the McDonald's arch marched down the runway. Soon after, Spongebob Squarepants's face began popping up on fur coats, long-sleeved crop tops, and knit beanies before the finale of junk food gowns took the stage. For a brand that has always been closely associated with one of its subsidary taglines ('Cheap and Chic'), Scott's Moschino collection seemed to veer too close to the cheap and not so much near the chic. It's hard it imagine which of the pieces could actually go into production—seriously, who would actually wear a popcorn, gummy bear, or froot loop dress? The final look, a wedding gown on model Lindsey Wixson, wrapped up the catwalk's ode to junk food with a dress comprised purely of nutrition facts. It was fast fashion in the most literal sense, and although practically unwearable (unless, of course, you're Anna Dello Russo), it's hard not to appreciate Scott's humor. “You’d think it would have a little more fun,” Scott said about fashion. “To me, that’s the point of it. Ultimately, we need no more clothes. We could function with everything that’s on the earth right now. So you have to have this reason to want things. To me, it’s to make you happy, and to me, that’s linked to humor.” And Scott, who took his bow following the wild collection in a t-shirt that read, "I DON'T SPEAK ITALIAN BUT I DO SPEAK MOSCHINO," seemed to be having a blast.

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