KH: Moschino is known for many things, but one of the more notable is your knack for putting on a fun show. With all of the Covid restrictions, how did you decide to present it this way?
JS: I thought about all the pageantry we experience normally and wanted to have this whole cast of people that would be emblematic; obviously I could only do a small audience so wanted to capture emblematic people like Samira (Nasr) and Edward (Enninful), Anna Wintour of course and have those fashion faces. I just really thought, ‘How could I give the same whimsical experience that you feel when you see my show live?’ And I just thought there’s no other way of doing this other than doing it in a film and creating a dream inside a dream and making this fantasy world come alive. Transport you to another place for a little bit and not think about all the other worries and woes of the day.
K: Most of us editors are following it all remotely, so it was fun to be reminded of the excitement of a runway show in such a clever way. The clothes also tapped into a certain kind of nostalgia for simpler times. What inspired you there?
J: I was thinking about dressmaking techniques and all the craftsmanship and all the hidden treasures inside of vintage garments because we no longer use these techniques — from pinking shears to the little waists. All these elements are so beautiful and there’s so much craftsmanship and they’re human! There’s a human touch. They’re created by humans and they’re implemented by humans. To me that was a really important element and as things have become so manufactured in modern clothes, it’s taken that human element away from it. And this time, more now than ever, we are living a human experience because globally we have been collectively told, ‘This is what’s going on,’ for all of us. We are all experiencing this together. So I thought bringing that human element, showing the insides out, baring the exposed elements of the clothing and finding beauty in what is usually hidden and not shown, I thought that was all very fitting for where we are today. I was also thinking — very glamorous. I was thinking about old Hollywood, lots of brocades, all the corsetry. I wanted to play with that in all the different ways and capture that in miniature.
K: Your shows are famously known for having one of the starrier casts in Milan. You consistently pull out the supers. Did you find yourself missing the thrill of having that kind of draw on the runway?
J: I do miss the models but I didn’t feel like it was going to be done the way I would normally be able to do it; with limitations on travel I felt I couldn’t have all my muses with me who inspire me and bring the clothes to life. With all these obstacles I felt that this was the most perfect way to deliver the same experience emotionally that I do live and put no one in harm's way. No one could think about if they’re doing something they shouldn’t have or putting anxiety on anyone. 'Should I be wearing a mask right now?' 'Should I not have taken that ticket from him?' You don’t have to think about any of it at all. It’s all safe and all cosy.
K: So can I ask about your lockdown experience? Have you been in LA the whole time?
J: Yes I have, I’ve been here since two days after the Marie Antoinette show.
K: Has Covid impacted your creative life in any way?
J: No — I feel guilty saying that but the point is I’m used to working remotely because I’ve lived in a remote city since 2002 compared to other fashion cities. For me, when I moved here from Paris and was still showing in New York and also Paris and working all the long history with Adidas in Germany — what am I? Seven years into my tenure at Moschino? I’ve been having to do this a while. I’m used to getting an idea, taking a sketch, sending it to my assistant on WhatsApp. I have a whole archive of fabrics so I can convey a textile, or weave or touch remotely so I’m used to that and communicating in that way. The biggest difference was that I wasn’t in Italy for a live fitting which was the first time in my whole career and life.
K: What are you going to do with the dolls after the show?
J: They’re actually all in Milan. They’ve all flown from Hollywood and they’ve jetsetted themselves to Milan and they’re being set up in the showroom there for everyone there to see them live.
SEE: The Highlights From Milan Fashion Week SS21
1 of 9Valentino
As one of the handful who decided to show IRL, Valentino's show, the finale of Milan Fashion Week, reminded us of the 'old normal'. But while the setting (Milan instead of Paris), the colours and the gowns were as breath-taking as ever, the collection did reflect what's happening the world - and how it's affecting our clothes. Boot-leg jeans were peppered throughout - paired with a blazer and Rockstud pumps, or a billowing sheer blouse - and were the result of an unlikely collaboration: Valentino and Levi's. For SS21, Piccioli reworked the denim brand's classic 517 - a boot-leg cut that has been waiting in the wings and is, now, ripe for a comeback. Hopefully it won't be too long until ball gowns are back on the menu. In the meantime, Valentino x Levi's seems like a brilliant alternative.
2 of 9Versace
Versace also decided to show in real life, but its guest list was made up entirely of its own team, everyone else had to watch the live-stream. The collection was inspired by the aquatic, with models walking through a set of crumbling ruins, Donatella Versace's very own Atlantis.
3 of 9Moschino
Moschino's Jeremy Scott took the idea of social distancing incredibly seriously, staging a puppet show, complete with a string-operated front row. With fashion brands turning to the medium of video more and more, this stood out as something original and, more importantly, fun.
4 of 9BOSS
This seasons collection focuses on craft, colour, and artistry. 'A refreshing palette of blues, vivid emerald and soft rose enhances this new attitude, along with shades of sand, cream, and forest green.'
5 of 9Etro
Proud of its Italian DNA, this season Etro explores an eternally charming Riviera style. 'Fresh, relaxed, spontaneous,' the collection visits 'the alluring vibe of an endless Italian summer.' A nautical theme runs throughout 'with rope motifs, marine chains, anchors, seashells, summer stripes and sailboats. '
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6 of 9Emporio Armani
Emporio Armani hosted a digital show this season, where the collection echoed its architectural surroundings, 'creating a dialogue that shares the same tone'. We saw feather-light materials as well as fresh and neutral hues. However, the evening wardrobe turned dark, mysterious and luminescent – like this finale look.
7 of 9Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana's SS21 collection was dedicated to patchwork, with look after look that was pieced together from jewel-like squares of fabric. But this wasn't just patchwork in the literal sense, but the patchwork of cultures in Sicily. 'Given our long experience designing and being inspired by Sicily, we wanted to tell of all that you can find on an island like this, the different cultures that dominated it, from the Spanish to the Arabs, from the Normans to the French,' says Domenico Dolce in the press release. 'We wanted to tell of all that you can find in a city like Palermo, like Catania, like Syracuse, like Agrigento, putting it together in a garment. Creating these patchworks, these combinations of fabrics, of atmospheres, of colours, of different qualities of brocade, from poplin to georgette to chiffon,' he continues.
8 of 9Alberta Ferretti
Alberta Ferretti's outdoor catwalk, which snaked around a covered courtyard that was green with ivy plants, catered for a reduced number of guests, each sitting on carefully spread square blocks to enforce social distancing. The show itself, however, was remarkably similar to the 'old normal', with a spring-facing collection that saw models wearing shells around their necks, gladiator sandals on their feet and clothes in beachy shades of lemon, coral and terracotta.
9 of 9Fendi
For her last collection before man-of-the-hour Kim Jones's arrival, Silvia Venturini Fendi took inspiration from her family, the generations reunited in Rome, and the simple act of watching the world go by at a window. The catwalk looked rather like a living room, albeit a very large and very long one, with white curtains wafting either side that brought to mind open windows, and undulating sofas where guests were spaced evenly apart as opposed to being squashed together. Fendi certainly managed to pull in the big guns, with Yasmin Le Bon, Ashley Graham, Eva Herzigova, Paloma Elsesser, Imaan Hammam and Edie Campbell all present and correct for what was most likely their first show of fashion month. The clothes were typically dolce vita in style, with an open-necked leather coat (on Le Bon), a trumpet-sleeve skirt suit (on Herzigova) and a sexily sheer rib knit (on Hammam). While we wait, and imagine, what Fendi + Jones might equal, shoppers will find plenty of wantable clothes to keep them satisfied next spring.