HUNGER ranks Jeremy Scott’s campest moments at Moschino

The golden arches

Somehow Scott’s luxurious name as creative director at Moschino has become synonymous with the fast food chain Mcdonald’s… and it’s the best thing that could have ever happened. In his AW14 collection for the brand, he adopted the golden arches into a twisted Moschino logo and sent some of the pursed-lipped faces of fashion into a frenzy with this kitschy high-low hybrid. The Ronald McDonald extravaganza saw slodged mustard and ketchup tones throughout the garments; models carried bags on food trays, Happy Meal boxes were strapped around bodies and gowns got the grease treatment as they took on food wrappers. Fashion has never been the same since. 

Inflate it ‘til you make it

For his SS23 collection, Scott took his rubber blow-ups straight to the runway. But don’t be fooled, it was all dolphins and beach balls for this lineup, as rainbow characters and pumped-up hearts were pinned to gowns and v-neck pencil dresses as he tackled inflation quite literally with his work. It may be a grey topic, but Scott injected some much-needed colour to this societal commentary. Hems turned into party balloons and party balloons turned into sleeves as hats were transformed into pool floats and pool floats into gigantic belts. It was a mish-mash of shapes and vibrant colours, but somehow all worked so well. The ingenious of Scott reigned until the final collections, evidently. 

Vroom vroom

Though Scott may be hitting the road and waving goodbye to Moschino right now, back in 2015 for his SS16 collection, he was still polishing the well-oiled Moschino machine with a new and exciting collection of looks. By installing a car wash that shot bubbles onto the runway, the models set off in high-vis jackets, caution tape bows, and the classic Windex spray bottle clutch bags. ‘No Parking, Couture Zone’ read the signs plastered on the walls, as the models strutted, twirled, and giggled their way down the runway in a wacky celebration of fashion. The high-vis trenches and two sets may say differently, but the industry couldn’t have seen this collection coming from a mile away. And at the end of the day, it’s how much the outside sparkles that counts, right?

Come on Barbie

Come on Barbie let’s go party, said Scott in 2014. Presumably. It would be the only apt phrase to be written on the mood board of the Moschino SS15 collection as the plastic icon Barbie got dissected for the sake of fashion. Inspired by Malibu princess chic, the models were sent rollerskating down this runway in wedgie-risk track hot pants and sweatbands galore. The logo for Moschino met Barbie’s signature bubble lettering and hot pink history, as the doll went to prom, on vacation, and even to the spa in her respective getups. Taffeta gowns and bleach-blonde platinum wigs – was it too much? It could never be, it was camp at its finest. If there is one thing more joyous than childhood memories of whipping out your Barbies and making them over, it’s watching Scott have the time of his life doing the same thing on the runway as an adult.

Met’s ‘Notes on Camp’: noted

Remember when a slew of celebrities took to the 2019 Met Gala and thought they actually looked camp right in the eye? They didn’t. There was only one designer who was ever going to do this theme complete and utter justice, and he did just that. Scott dressed long-time poster girl and iconic artist Katy Perry in a short-cut chandelier dress, complete with Swarovski crystals and battery-powered twinkling lights. She also donned a mini chandelier on her head as a hat, sitting neatly over her sharply cut platinum bob. She later changed into a round bedazzled hamburger costume for the after-party – just your casual chilling attire. Whilst boring golden gowns and dinner suits sauntered down the red carpet, Scott made sure Perry was a shining beacon of camp that night. 

Tongue-in-cheek, heart on sleeve

The best thing about Scott’s designs is that they don’t take themselves too seriously, and it is undoubtedly a reflection of their maker. ‘I don’t speak Italian, but I do speak Moschino’ Scott plastered over a t-shirt design. Fans of the brand, before the creative director had entered, feared the Italian heritage would be lost amongst an Americans creations. Did Scott care? No, as he proved them all wrong over the span of his career, and brought a much-needed funny bone to the forefront of a notoriously stiff and straight-faced industry. Following his final collection since announcing his leave, Scott told Vogue after the show that the utmost lesson he has learned is “You have to save space for joy.”