Moschino Menswear Spring/Summer 2023 Collection

Viramontes was a lively chameleon, hued in pop-bright colors. He was a fashion illustrator, a photographer, and a visionary whose discipline tethered together the worlds of high fashion and megawatt celebrity. He balanced free form with realism, grit and camp, and commercial appeal with clever subversion. Ultimately: Viramontes captured the bold aesthetics of his era through both pen and lens.

Creative Director Jeremy Scott collaborated with Viramontes’ estate for part of this collection; the motifs, faces and figures seen throughout are replications of the polymath’s pieces. In particular, Viramontes’ contribution to The Face magazine, and the Buffalo styling movement of the eighties spearheaded by Ray Petri–which would become a visual hallmark of that decade–became an inspiration for Scott.

Abstract visages, bright yet slightly attenuated colors, striking squiggles and expressive strokes cover signature Moschino shapes along with new silhouettes that play with length and height–everything from long to short shorts, pleated skirts to sarongs, tapered pants to roomier trousers. Tailoring takes eye-catching center stage, with an array of blazers, suits and topcoats all enlivened by polychrome treatments. Yet formalwear isn’t just in the purview of tradition; Sportcoats are styled with shorts or combat boots, for example, creating a modern and mixed vernacular.

“I wanted to shine a light on this brilliant creator,” says Scott. “He may not be a household name, but Tony Viramontes is a force.”