Jeremy Scott is certainly not the first designer to recast conventional gender assumptions, breaking down their binary constructs. But he might be the first—at least, in the high-fashion realm—to reassemble them as a conjoined dinner jacket. What he dubbed the “tandem tux” appeared as the final look of tonight’s Moschino show following a purposefully provocative lineup that spanned dominatrix to ladylike, demimonde to debonair—often as a single statement. The jacket tails twisted like a partial Möbius strip between a couple who were otherwise shirtless, although in such a way that breasts proved irrelevant. “In the end, aren’t we all joined?” Scott offered backstage in the midst of models lifting off their latex masks.
To be sure, the emphasis on glossy black surfaces automatically gave a high degree of kink to this collection, yet that messaging was often expressed to avoid an X rating (and, presumably, to keep retailers from getting their knickers in a knot): a swatch of lacing defining the back waist of a tailored coat; the blurred faces referencing Carlo Mollino (the renowned architect-photographer enjoyed his fair share of eroticism); the lingerie over suiting and T-shirts that will forever be linked to Jean-Paul Gautier. Several looks—including a gown boasting a train shaped like an overgrown glove—could be viewed through the lens of #whywewearblack. Scott’s response: “People are in control of their sexuality and the way they want to look; you’re owning your own power.” By that token, a male model looked no less masculine in a frilly dressing gown or tiered tulle cape, just as the women rocked suspenders with their fuck-me boots. Filter out the fetish, though, and you’re left with a fair number of curb-appeal coats, some rather stunning evening options, and a black adaption of last year’s pink pussy hat.
If you can believe, nearly 30 years have passed since Madonna’s “Express Yourself,” and Scott was quick to give credit: “It’s very much in line with what our great forefather Madonna laid out, if I might say so.” He said many other things, too, using newspaper-style fragments as a graphic pattern safety pinned onto various looks. Among the mix: naughty, trash, spank, lick, pain—in addition to tic, tac, toe. Compared to President Trump’s way with words, this was flirty repartee. Scott’s favorite, in case you’re wondering: sensational. He remains a master of double entendre.
