Forget institutional look book images: At Moschino, even commercial exercises like pre-collections are not spared from a generous dose of irreverence and fun. And while standard practice would want to go through a lineup in the sequence a designer has assembled, it’s highly recommended to jump to the final look to find Adrian Appiolaza’s strongest message.
Between the casting of a gray-haired model, a royal crown made out of pasta, a ruffled skirt and a sweater reading “Hard Times,” the look encapsulates both the cheeky take on British tropes the designer channeled in his latest effort and his overall vision for Moschino.
“We are going through hard times. It’s in everybody’s life, at every level. But this was my way to say that even [in this moment,] we can still play and have fun,” Appiolaza told WWD over Teams.
The look sealed a joyful and wearable collection, permeated with a sense of humor and rich in the iconography the designer has brought front stage in his first year at the creative helm of the brand, ranging from polka dots and cloud motifs to plenty of smiley faces and trompe-l’œil effects.
Dubbed “Collezione 03” and merging the women’s pre-fall 2025 and the men’s fall 2025 collections, the line reimagines British aristocracy and their customs, from high tea and opera nights to hunting and countryside getaways. “I was watching ‘The Crown’ when we started….I’m half British, half Argentinian and I lived in England for 10 years, so the idea of the British royals was always present,” Appiolaza said.
Only in his hands hunting jackets and tailored waistcoats took a more democratic turn as printed on T-shirts; trompe-l’œil coats and peacoats mimicked furs; different Shetland cardigans were put together in single pieces; smiley faces and hearts reinterpreted Argyle knits; equestrian paintings and tea sets abounded as colorful motifs on printed shirts, slipdresses and even jewelry, while biscuit tins and royal corgis were turned into bags.
Nods to Savile Row informed Appiolaza’s relaxed take on tailoring, which included suit linings brought outside in plain sight to mark the sleeves of blazer jackets and men’s sartorial pieces reassembled into pinstripe frocks. Elsewhere, a collaboration with British textile house Sanderson saw Moschino’s teddy bear infiltrating the floral patterns splashed over printed pussy-bow blouses, ruffled dresses and skirts.
And what about Lady Diana’s notorious ‘Revenge Dress’? In Appiolaza’s versions, its sleeves formed a bow in the back or came with coins reprising the late founder Franco Moschino’s profile.
