Fashion designer Jeremy Scott, the creative director of Moschino, got crafty with his latest runway presentation at Milan Fashion Week, serving up looks pulled straight from the Modernist pantheon.
In a sweeping homage to Pablo Picasso, each of his ensembles were variations on his paintings, sculptural collages, and his general use of color and geometry. None of the models had misplaced eyeballs or distorted faces, but there were a fair number of fractured ensembles that alluded to Picasso’s Cubist tendencies.
For art historians in the audience, there were nods to the 1907 painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, the artist’s lifetime obsession with minotaurs, and an actual three-dimensional guitar-dress.
In the interest of academic rigor, we’ve paired some of the best looks from the show with their artistic antecedents.
Les Demoiselles D’Avignon (1907)
A flesh-toned palette inspired by Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907). Courtesy of MoMA.
A 3-D rendition of Picasso’s Guitar (1912–14)
Picasso’s Guitar (1912–14) inspired a wild and stunning dress. Courtesy of MoMA.
Stripes a la Picasso’s nautical portrait Le Marin (1943), complete with a bulbous hand
Sailor stripes in an homage to Picasso’s Le Marin (1943), on the right. © 2018 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Image courtesy of Christie’s.
Picasso’s muse Femme au beret et a la robe quadrillee (Marie-Therese Walter)
Picasso’s Femme au beret et a la robe quadrillee (Marie-Therese Walter) alongside the look it inspired. Photo: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images.
A more subdued palette for recalled Picasso’s King of the Minotaurs (1958)
Picasso’s obsession with minotaurs, as in King of the Minotaurs, were translated into various accessories.
Acrobatic argyle as seen in Arlequin assis (1901)
Left, Bella Hadid wears a harlequin ensemble, a lot like Picasso’s Arlequin assis (1901).
A recent lot offered at Christie’s Homme et femme nus (1968)
A fractured green-and-black outfit recalls Picasso’s Homme et femme nus (1968). Courtesy of Christie’s Images Ltd.