Jeremy Scott is doing Franco proud.
Jeremy Scott, creative director of Moschino, and Katy Perry sit for a selfie taken by Japanese Vogue editor-at-large Anna Dello Russo with her “Moschino fries”-covered phone. © SGP photo
I take it all back! When Jeremy Scott showed his first collection for Moschino, I was sniffy about his McDonald’s-meets-Sponge Bob collection.
Jeremy Scott’s first collection for Moschino as new creative director; autumn/winter 2014. © InDigital
But after seeing the new Moschino store on Rome ‘s Via del Babuino, I am a convert.
© Getty Images
I smiled at the puns: Master Peace on a bag and Just Fur You on a furry jacket – one of many desirable designs from kidswear to evening outfits.
I thought the grainy wood interior faced off beautifully the brash blue and yellow chairs in the airy fashion display room.
© Getty Images
I laughed at the sight of the Sponge Bob carriage in the window, as a constant stream of passers-by took photos for Instagram.
A Moschino Sponge Bob grabber machine in the store. © Suzy Menkes
And I had a tiny prick of tears in my eyes when I saw Franco Moschino’s artwork from 1989: The Sky in a Shoe, the Magritte-style image of a cloud-decorated shoe floating through a cloudy sky, framed by black high heels; and Cul de Sac, a naughty French pun for a pair of jeans in acrylic on canvas, with rumpled jeans around the frame.
Farewell Franco – you died much too young. But Jeremy Scott is doing you proud.
The Sky in a Shoe (1989), by Franco Moschino, on display in the store. © Suzy Menkes
Vogue International Editor Suzy Menkes is the best-known fashion journalist in the world. After 25 years commenting on fashion for the International Herald Tribune (rebranded recently as The International New York Times), Suzy Menkes now writes exclusively for Vogue online, covering fashion worldwide.