Moschino and their puppet fashion show

As our class transitions into the medium of film, specifically with the use of premier pro in Adobe, it prompted me to reflect on a fashion show that relied heavily on cinematography and video editing to create a lively atmosphere without the use of a single person in the video.

I am of course talking about the 2021 Spring/Summer ready to wear collection from Moschino.

In the world of fashion, fashion shows are worked on months before the debut of the collection. Not just the clothing, but also the lighting, props, setting, all of these aspects need to be labored on in order to create an atmosphere that transcends the garments on display. So when a global pandemic puts all of Europe in quarantine, most fashion designers were in a bit of a predicament. Jeremy Scott, who is the creative director of Moschino took inspiration from an old Parisian art form known as Theatre de la Mode, which consisted of large china dolls being fitted in luxurious garments. With this in mind, Scott decided that the best approach to creating a virtual fashion show was to make a puppet show and film the puppets modeling the various clothes.

The collection in itself pays homage to the couture of 20th century Parisian Theater de la Mode. Consistent with the house of Moschino, Scott did an exceptional job in the details with the leather bags and the footwear. While most might view a puppet show as an opportunity to simplify the clothing being on display as it is being worn by wooden puppets, Scott was determined to make every part of the garment an accurate yet reduced version of what would be sold in stores. The “models” were created by Jim Henson’s house of puppets, each being a 30 inch replica of the selected models that would’ve worn the clothing had an in person fashion show occurred.

If you notice, in the background there are sitting puppets which represent various members of the fashion media elite that are always in attendance to the fashion shows in Milan. This was another aspect of the puppet show that was important to give life to the entire film, the sitting audience was lively and moving, each with their own specialized motion, such as jotting down notes on a pad, or scratching one’s head as a questionable outfit walks by. I personally appreciate this attention to detail that Scott put towards his fashion/puppet show. He was able to recreate the natural reactions of the audience that wouldn’t be in his control had there been real guests in attendance.

So what about the final product? The final product consists of 7 minute long video that details the entire proceedings of the fashion show. The video editing is really slick and everything is done with minimal takes as to not give the appearance of a choreographed video but as if you are watching a live event. The camera frequently cuts from the models to the audience as the puppets move around the room. There isn’t a huge amount of video editing in the sense that the footage gets altered, but the camera work is incredibly slick and the focus shifts from model to model as they all flow down the runway. One of the most notable uses of video editing is with the audience, whenever they move or have motion, their puppet strings are noticeably removed in post. This differs from the actual puppet models who are shown in their entirety with their strings attached and creating the motion depicted. Obviously editing out the strings of the live puppet models is way harder than to edit out the strings of the various small gestures done by the crowd, but I think it ads to the blend of atmospheres between the infantile puppet models and the serious and careful judgement of the puppet audience.

In conclusion, Moschino created one of the most creative fashion shows at a time where it seemed as if the fashion show would be at risk of dying out. The collection as a whole is a refreshing take on Parisian fashion, and Jeremy Scott has proven once again how versatile he is in creating couture.

I have linked the full video below for your personal enjoyment.