The moment when a prominent house is in between one generally successful creative director—as Jeremy Scott most certainly was at Moschino— whatever comes next is often seized as an opportunity to criticize for the sake of it by those who would otherwise never dare to. And yet it is not always the case that a rudderless house will drift in the wrong direction.
This Moschino menswear collection floated along just fine. It was an exercise in opposition and signature irony that perhaps lacked an articulated raison d’etre—besides being bought—but which was nonetheless infused with enough quirk to work. An archive house floral played foil on corsetry and tight tops against messed up tailoring, complete with side-wrenched multi-collared shirts and schoolboy rebel back-to-front ties. Safari-camp (and simultaneously camp-camp) beige explorer separates and knits came stained with splattered paint embroideries. The florals bloomed beyond the print into charm strewn chains at the neckline and waist. Soberly anachronistic Prince of Wales tailoring, Brideshead-silhouette oversized, was clashed against wrapped sash silk shirting and corduroy Bermudas in violent aquamarine.
Neither a travesty nor a triumph, this was a Moschino collection that contained certain pieces, chiefly a gorgeous oversized biker, that you’d relish wearing way beyond one fleeting interregnum.
