We saw dolls becoming models in the July shows this year, one of the creative ideas designers had to overcome restrictions due to the pandemic. Inspired by Théâtre de la Mode, Maria-Grazia Chiuri showed miniature versions of the Dior Autumn/Winter 2020 collection, much like those shown in the Maison’s incredible fashion exhibition a year ago. Walter Van Beirendonck showed his Spring Summer 2021 men’s collection on dolls made by the talented Eli Effenberger from Meenangerie dolls. So it did not seem weird that Jeremy Scott had the same inspiration for his Moschino 2021 Spring Summer Ready To Wear show - it fits the whimsical spirit of the brand very well. But he took it a step further: he used puppets instead of dolls.
It is not the first time puppets, or more precisely, marionettes, were used for a fashion show. In 1960, marionettes were used alongside real human models on the runway at the Cypress Club in London, as you can see below.
Jeremy Scott talked to US Vogue about the process of creating the whimsical runway show. He has worked with Barbie in the past, even did a complete collection inspired by her. He loves dolls!
He also did a segment for CNN Style:
His original inspiration was, as for others too, the Théâtre de la Mode mannequins. As he has worked with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop (The Muppets, Dark Crystal) before, and they all were in Los Angeles due to the pandemic, he decided to work with them to make the show. The marionettes were sculpted with computers and then made in L.A. by the Henson team, while the painstakingly detailed outfits were made in Italy by the Moschino team, and then sent to the US for the filming. Most of the outfits were made in human size too, as we can see in photos posted on the company’s Instagram. You can see the entire collection here.
What is a fashion show without its front row? Not content with making the models into puppets, Scott had the Henson people make a series of esteemed fashion editors into marionettes, sitting along the runway on golden chairs like they do during couture week. You could see Anna Wintour (holding her invite), Edward Enninful (British Vogue), Hamish Bowles (Vogue US), Samira Nasr (Harper’s Bazaar US), Vanessa Friedman (NY Times, jotting notes down her notebook no less), Carlyne Cerf De Dudzelee , Anna Dello Russo (Vogue Japan), Nina Garcia (Elle US), Angelica Cheung (Vogue China), model Brandon Good. For the rest, we have “inside information” that two more front row attendees were Lupita Nyong’o and Kerry Washington, while the blonde lady taking a snapshot with her phone could be Scott’s friend Lizzie Widdiecombe from New Yorker magazine. Below is a panoramic photo on which I have written the audience members I could identify.
Below you can see a slideshow of close ups from the front row. If anyone has concrete information about any of the so far unidentified ladies, please let me know so I can add them.
Jeremy said about the clothes: “When I opened the boxes when the little outfits for the puppets arrived, I was shocked and befuddled and tickled pink!” All the work on the mini outfits has been done by hand, and even the jacquard was scaled down and rewoven to marionette proportions. “It’s filled with love, it’s so delicate and intricate,” says Scott of the workmanship that has gone into the collections – both big and small. “It’s close to looking classical but not exactly. I wanted to play with all the subtleties but make them bold at the same time.”
He designed all the front row clothes as well: “I had to capture everyone’s unique personality and then give it a little twist,” says Scott, of designing Moschino outfits for a front row of marionettes that included Vogue editors including Edward Enninful and Anna Wintour, the New York Times journalist Vanessa Friedman (who at one point can be seen jotting down thoughts in a notebook) and Scott’s regular stylist collaborator Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele. “For Edward’s suit I made sure it had the British flag. I thought, if I was making something custom, what would I imagine for him that would respect him in his world, but give a little nod that I was playing?”
The marionettes were 30-inch rall, about 76cm, and the ones from the front row were all sent to their real life counterparts. The rest of them along with the outfits are now all in the Moschino archive in Milan. To end this post, here are some backstage photos. They even made the outfit board!
