Diehard Moschino fans turned up to the fall show in spring’s zany inflatables — their knees trapped in life buoys, their collars bulging out like blow-up airplane neck pillows.
Lo and behold, for fall Jeremy Scott paraded luncheon suits and evening gowns riddled with mega spikes that could theoretically puncture his last effort. Any of the jutting hairstyles could also do the trick, for that matter. Fashion moves fast and often a designer’s latest collection is a reaction to his or her last one.
This one was less gimmicky and more commercial, hinged on vaguely 1980s Ladies Who Lunch suits and prim coats with some serious warping going on. Hemlines, buttons, contrast trims, floral and houndstooth prints appeared to be melting and dripping like Salvador Dalí’s clocks. Black pumps oozed some extra sole.
Scott then switched gears, supplanting the Surrealist motif with brooch-sized jewels swarming over black suiting, biker jackets, handbags and ankle boots. Let minimalism gather steam on other runways: Scott wasn’t having any of it, gilding everything to the hilt.
By contrast, the set was bare-bones, models emerging from a wrecking-ball hole in the wall and stalking a raised catwalk of wooden planks. The attitude was punk.
The show climaxed with a parade of elaborate evening gowns, some sculpted in jewel-toned taffeta, others paved in crystal embroideries, including the slinky, one-shouldered column that closed the show. But for its wavy, melted neckline, it was almost minimal.
