Thanks or No Thanks to the now-infamous Coronavirus, most fashion shows evolved into digital or hybrid shows featuring invisible models on a 3D stage; physical shows in the thick of forests or in the middle of nature; and now, a puppet show with a puppet audience to boot.
Wittily titled No Strings Attached, the Moschino SS 2021 collection was presented as a safe show depicting a ‘topsy-turvy’ world like the one we are in now. Put together by Moschino’s creative director Jeremy Scott, the puppets were designed by the creator of The Muppets, The Jim Henson Company Creator Shop.
https://youtu.be/EQQE9PrcIDo
To make the show a reality, Scott re-scaled each of the 40 looks of the collection – which largely comprised lavish dresses and gowns featuring materials such as golden jacquard and pastel-hued tulle- to fit the puppets. Each was also designed to reveal the seams, trims and pocket interiors, as well as underskirts that are all typically concealed on the inverse of the garment as a reflection of the unexpected events of 2020. A soft colour palette of pale golds, dusty blues and candy pinks help to tone down the otherwise noisy-look reminiscent of our current reality that the designer was trying to recreate in the outfits.
“In 2020, the apparatuses of what we know have been largely exposed,” said the brand. “Scott has chosen to reflect this phenomenon, and to build from it.”
The puppets sitting in the lone first row were completely recognizable. There was an Anna Wintour marionette wearing a mid-calf leopard dress, a Hamish Bowles-inspired figure in a double-breasted plaid suit, and more. Jeremy Scott even had his own look-alike in the show, clad in a crown and a Moschino t-shirt. “As much as I loved working with the marionettes and as proud as I am of this show,” he said, “I do miss working with real models … and the energy of having a real audience and everyone gathered together. And I hope very soon I can do that in person again.”
Whether it was intended or not, Moschino’s No Strings Attached did more than give the world a safe fashion show; its unusual nature has given it a buzz that threatens to eclipse all other fashion shows put together for the Milan Fashion Week. And in the end, that is a positive thing.