Happy (late) Halloween (Moschino Resort 2020)
Trick or Chic
“Clothes play an indispensable part in the production of the social self and in the creation of identity.” (Jennifer Harris).
Moschino Resort 2020 was one of the first collections I saw on the Vogue Runway app (actually it might have been THE first). I saw it when I was still getting into fashion and seeing this collection made me really happy and really confused. I didn’t know what the hell a Resort Collection1 was or why Moschino was showing a Halloween-themed collection in the middle of summer, but nonetheless, the collection reeled me in and refused to let go. I even put some of the looks on my Halloween costume inspiration list, which would require some major DIYs as birthday money was not going to pay for Moschino.
Creative director Jeremy Scott offers a master class in having fun in such a serious industry. From his Karl Lagerfeld Era Chanel Parody Collection (Autumn/Winter 2014 Ready-to-Wear), which Lagerfeld praised, to his Paper Dolls Collection (Spring/Summer 2017 Ready-to-Wear), he has time and time again proved that invoking joy and laughter through his clothes is what’s important to him, saying “Sometimes people have questioned whether I was making fun of the industry or just at myself. I’m just trying to raise a smile. Clothes aren’t meant to be worshipped at a church altar”. So his Halloween-themed collection was no exception. Maybe it’s no deeper than “Halloween costumes are fun! Bring them into high fashion!” – but maybe it is.
(Moschino Resort 2020 by Jeremy Scott, styled by Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, photo by Marco Ovando)
This Resort Collection begs the question, what is a costume? Are Halloween costumes appropriate for year-round attire, are they reserved for characters portrayed by other people, or do we costume ourselves every day while doing the “simple” task of getting dressed? And how does the theatrical play a role in the mundane? I strongly believe that we costume ourselves every day, even without meaning to. How we choose to dress ourselves is an extension of our psyche and our beliefs, but it’s not always as overt as a costume. By using Halloween, a holiday synonymous with all things horror and gore (rather than, say, a historical time period) to present a costume-esque collection, Scott allowed us to indulge in our darkest fantasies and have fun with terror. How quaint. And to present the collection in June encouraged the viewers to indulge in such fantasies even on ordinary days when such dreaming is not allowed.
“I wanted to take the most mundane, beautiful, manicured, perfect setting because that’s where the darkest things always happen” (Scott).
(Moschino Resort 2020 by Jeremy Scott, styled by Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, photo by Marco Ovando)
From a Casey Becker (Scream) inspired character to a creepy twin (The Shining) themed dress, the looks were a mix of campy, mischievous, scary, and just funny. Whatever emotion the outfit elicited, each look incited a special nostalgia for Halloween. While it does come around every year, again and again, the feeling of the month of October is a special one. Maybe I’m just milking this because Halloween is clearly my favorite holiday, but I think that’s what Scott wanted to do. Bring us back to the fun-loving horror that goes along with Halloween, a feeling specific to October 31st.
All the looks in this collection were wearable (I think every garment is wearable) yet eye-catching, similar to other designs by Scott.
(Moschino Resort 2020 by Jeremy Scott, styled by Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, photo by Marco Ovando)
“Certainly, we are all able to recognize the role which dress plays in the creation of identities, signaling sexual preference, social status or aspiration, occupation, or identification within a group, and the recent past has seen a number of counter-cultural groups - mods, rockers, hippies, punks - self-consciously use dress to create meaning and locate themselves in society.” (Harris).
The way we dress dictates every facet of our life in one way or another, even if we don’t put much thought into it. But Scott, who put lots of thought into the clothes he designed for this collection, recognized how creating costumes and personas for the wearer would help create their desired identity.
Resort, also known as Holiday, Pre-Spring, or Cruise is a fashion collection that appears between Autumn/Winter (presented in February) and Spring/Summer (presented in September).