Jeremy Scott shows alien Jackie Os at Moschino AW18

A welcome surprise to day one of Milan Fashion Week: a Moschino show! Designer Jeremy Scott changed his venue and bumped his show up to the first day of the schedule this season, meaning we got to start the Wednesday with double-headed Gucci models and finish it with multi-coloured 60s alien girls. Oh, fashion! Here’s what went down.

THE INVITE WAS A BOX OF CRAZY FRUIT CANDY

Which you had to rifle through in order to find the invitation itself. Featuring Lichtenstein-esque pop art girls, it was designed by Australian artist Ben Frost, and was a metaphor for the way we self-medicate in increasingly troubled times – whether with calorific candy or altogether less sweet substances. There was definitely a sticker on it the box saying the contents were not edible but listen, we got curious/hungry. They tasted pretty good, BTW.

THE SHOW WAS INSPIRED BY CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Like the one where JFK told Marilyn Monroe that aliens existed and then they both had to be assassinated by the government so it didn’t get out. Backstage pre-show Scott said he’d been interested in the way that conspiracy theories circulate at moments of political unrest (like now!). Not that he believes in them, mind.

WHICH TRANSLATED INTO A COLOURFUL, 60S-INSPIRED COLLECTION

Featuring flicky wigs, chic two piece skirt suits, cocktail dresses, and oh yeah, colourful alien body paint. “It's very Jackie O, very space hostess, futuristic retrofuture, and then playing a bit with Marilyn Monroe,” Scott said backstage. Frost’s illustrations appeared on a series of pieces which mashed up pop art prints with the words you’d find on prescription drug packets. The show closed with a procession of evening dresses spliced with sequins. “It’s like some of them are robots, and they’re starting to malfunction!” Scott surmised.

BUT IT HAD A POLITICAL MESSAGE

“I was thinking about immigration and illegal immigrants, or illegal ‘aliens’ when I was designing the collection,” the designer said. “I wanted to play with the idea of what an alien actually looks like.” It’s an important conversation to be having as President Trump takes real steps to eliminate important policies like DACA. “People in my country – some who have lived there since they were children, who have children of their own and are giving back to their communities, are getting evicted from the USA amidst fake news and hysteria. So I thought okay, I’m going to play a little on what an ‘alien’ supposedly looks like.”