‘No hesitation, no obligation, sweet temptation, let's just have a good time,’ pumped the soundtrack at Moschino’s swinging sixties S/S 2013 showcase (it was Michael Mayer, in case you’re wondering). This was a lesson in nostalgia, a heady homage to the fun and frivolity of The Factory years. Models of the moment Lindsey Wixson and Cara Delevingne were trussed up like little Edie Sedgwick tributes, sporting chunky chandelier earrings, bum-grazing Mary Quant-inspired graphic minis and exaggerated beehives. Also on show were cheery Woodstock-ready floral dresses and sweet broderie anglaise shifts, styled up – as always – with a statement costume hat, in this case a peeked helmet.
Many identified subtle political undertones at Marc Jacob’s similarly – albeit less gimmicky – Sedgwick-themed showcase. Was it a dig at the rampant conservatism and outward respectability of campaigning Republicans? Perhaps it was the pointedly wistful lyrics (at one point urging for ‘no smart phones’), or maybe the shadow of the late Franco Moschino’s penchant for social commentary, but one couldn’t help but wonder if there were similar subtexts here. Was this a judgment on the pace of modern life? A heartfelt hark back to the highlife of Milan’s early sixties economic boom?
Perhaps that would be giving Rossella Jardini too much credit – after all, the Moschino label is a child of the eighties. Maybe she just felt tickled by the safe appeal of a metallic mini and a cute fitted pea coat. Moschino has always been about fun rather than fashion, and what better way to have a good time than with a raging retro throwback?
