Rainy Runway, Bright Clothes and A-List Celebs — Moschino’s Risky Outdoor Show is a Soggy Delight

NEW YORK  —  Moschino has built a wildly successful identity by doing things differently, but when the Italian luxury brand decided to tempt fate with an outdoor runway show at New  York Fashion Week and no apparent backup plan in case of inclement weather, you can guess what happened.

The rains, in fact, came, but not hard enough to scare away devoted followers, who had eagerly awaited the label’s rare New York fashion appearance — new collections normally debut in Milan — and dressed in their favorite Moschino styles.

One devoted follower wore a Moschino mini-dress with a 3-D guitar on the front. Two dedicated fans — one in a patterned jumpsuit; the other in print shorts and matching top with an oversized bag in the shape of a combination lock and crown on his head — hovered under an umbrella emblazoned with the phrase “I don’t speak Italian but I do speak Moschino.”

A few models teetered on the sloshy elevated runway in high heels and supermodel/new mom Gigi Hadid, who closed the show in a cartoon-patterned gown with a three-dimensional elephant on one sleeve and a baby bottle in her hand, didn’t look particularly happy. But, otherwise, the show came off without a hitch and the showers only seemed to emphasize the memorable moment.

Moschino’s collection, presented amid the lush green surroundings of Bryant Park with the brand’s logo carved into a fake floral hedge, certainly has a sunny, yet subversive, spirit. Creative director Jeremy Scott titled it “Ladies Who Lunch” and gave his playful take on the saga of the desperate housewife with some fractured fairytales thrown in for good measure.

Body-hugging two-piece skirt suits in bright colors, some with buttons or patches depicting whimsical characters from nursery rhymes, are a recurring theme, along with quilted coats, pert day dresses and tweed hot pants with matching jackets. It all has a whiff of ’60s style — teased updos, pastel satins, braided fabrics, oversized sunglasses — updated with a cartoony 21st century vibe.

There’s a “Mary Had a Little Lamb” purse as a key accessory.

The last looks are full-on Cartoon Network figures — a bunny with three-dimensional ears perks up the bodice of an evening gown while a three-dimensional quilted pony with a pink marabou mane leaps from the shoulder of another dress. On another dress, a giraffe, with a baby monkey clinging to its neck, pops up from the decollete.

“Maybe it’s our secret craving for comfort for our hearts. The nostalgia of childhood. The love of being wrapped up in a blanket. . . that security,” Scott says about his inspiration. “The collection is still a red carpet bonanza, but it’s also as cozy as if your grandma made it.”

Scott, who has championed diversity on the runway, featured a quadriplegic model in a yellow skirt, jacket and crop top with white trim in the Moschino runway show. Model Aaron Rose Philip came out with Scott again as the designer took his runway bow and they both smiled with undisguised glee.

“I hope this is the start of more and inspires & empowers more global brands at the same level to truly work towards including and normalizing disabled presences and talents in their showroom,” Rose Philip wrote on her Instagram page. “Disabled people, models and talents matter so much and we can do do much as long as the steps are taken to accommodate us properly.”

On the celebrity front row, actress Megan Fox seemed bemused by the collection while clutching her umbrella to avoid getting wet. Saturday Night Live star Heidi Gardner, in an asymmetrical Moschino pantsuit with one enlarged shoulder and a pink-and-yellow Moschino clutch, gamely sat in the rain without an umbrella. Until I gave her mine.

On Instagram, she called me her “angel,” which made sitting in the rain a breeze.