As the lights dimmed at Jeremy Scott today (over a typically eclectic crowd including Yeezy, the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, and astrologer Susan Miller), a familiar bubbling sound filled the air. It was the opening bars of Lemonade, that infectious track by London-based producer SOPHIE which somehow sounds like melting plastic and pop rocks. Michel Gaubert, who masterminded the music, had found the perfect soundtrack to a collection inspired by dolls, psychedelia, and “Toddlercore.”
The first looks down the runway combined Twiggy-ish silhouettes with nursery prints. The models wore colored tights and low-heeled Mary Janes with thigh-skimming A-line dresses. The prints were classic Jeremy Scott. They would also have been right at home in a playroom. Is it any wonder, it made you think, that scientists compare children’s sense of awe with the effects of hallucinogenic drugs? Bunnies and teddy bears danced across fields of plaid, stripes and polka dots. Later, hippos appeared on a shiny pea-green raincoat, and elephants floated up a check polo dress.
“I started out thinking about naivete,” Scott explained backstage. “I wanted this collection to be about a love for dolls and toys. But it’s not just sweet; the colors and patterns are more psychedelic and 70s.” And nothing said 70s like the patchwork leather pants that emerged halfway through the show. A rainbow harlequin jacket followed soon after, which reminded you of the collection’s name: “Dolly Pattern” — because Scott’s other influence this season was Dolly Parton’s 1971 song Coat of Many Colors.
The Dolly references weren’t always that literal — usually it was a lacy cuff here, a frill there — and tellingly, Gaubert played only a cover of Jolene, rather than the original. But her spirit was felt. The final three looks, like Dolly’s coat, were multicolored and sewn with love. Scott collaborated with LA-based artist Rosson Crow to create a triptych of dresses that were more like wearable paintings. Gigi Hadid literally stopped the show in a giant puffy-sleeved babydoll cut from canvas and shiny with acrylic polka dots.
Catch up with the rest of our fall/winter 15 coverage here.
Credits
Text Alice Newell-Hanson
Photography Kate Owen