Adrian Appiolaza’s debut menswear show for Moschino, which also marked his first menswear collection ever, was a deeply personal and transformative experience. Before embarking on his illustrious fashion career, Appiolaza worked in Argentina selling insurance, a job that required him to wear a company-provided suit. “I felt like a prisoner of that suit,” he recalled, shuddering at the memory.

This sense of constraint and the desire for freedom formed the foundation of the Moschino Resort 2025 collection. The show was guided by a famous Franco Moschino maxim: “It’s better to dress as you wish than as you should.” This sentiment was emblazoned on a bowling bag in Look 37 and a T-shirt in Look 22, the latter acting as a cipher for Appiolaza himself.

The collection intertwined three narratives: a transition from formality to freedom, a homage to Moschino’s archival landscape, and Appiolaza’s personal journey. The show began in the corporate world, with ironic takes on office attire. Egg and banana jewelry symbolized breakfast, while the early looks featured a shirt skirt paired with an actual shirt but with unreal suspenders, and a four-button suit teamed with three hats—nodding to numerous archival references. Pieces like the shredded Moschino fax housecoat, the Moschino Air hat, and the goodbye Post-it suit hinted at a departure from the conventional, towards a more joyous and liberated realm.

Appiolaza’s playful and inventive spirit shone through in every piece. The soccer-ball sweater with a tri-starred baseball cap paid homage to his Argentine roots, while the Italian flag soccer couple—with one sporting a red sauce splatter—acknowledged his new creative home in Italy. The show featured an array of whimsical and eclectic designs: a Latin lover in carpenter jeans, a southern siren in an embroidered postcard-from-Naples skirt, and a luxury guest in a slipper-pocket bathrobe toting a tool bag, echoing Steven Meisel’s 2010 Vogue Italia editorial, Makeover Madness.

Canonical Moschino heart bags appeared alongside paneled raffia basket bags, and the founder’s recurring goose motif made a return on skirts and shirts, adding a bucolic, countrywear charm. Appiolaza cleverly incorporated in-jokes, out-jokes, and Moschino easter eggs, leaving plenty of room for personal interpretation.

One of the standout pieces was a lilac-and-pale-turquoise menswear sarong printed with office supplies, worn below an untied-tie shirt that was mostly unbuttoned, suggesting that the former salaryman had finally found his summer paradise. The closing look, an all-white heavy linen suit with a sleeve skirt, symbolized both an inversion and a return to the beginning of the show.

Appiolaza’s cast walked their finale around piles of lost luggage, symbolizing the tangled and transformative journeys the designer explored throughout the collection. This show was a blend of scholarly homage and personal expression, showcasing Appiolaza’s ability to take the audience on a sartorial adventure.

The Moschino Resort 2025 collection was not just a fashion show; it was a narrative of liberation, a tribute to Moschino’s legacy, and a reflection of Appiolaza’s journey from the constraints of corporate attire to the freedom of creative expression.

Here are some of my favorite looks:

Xo, till next time!