Marina Moscone’s pop-up shop on Wooster Street is about so much more than commerce because it allows the designer to make the sensibility of the brand tangible. The “sense of place” of having a home in New York,” is something she feels deeply about, understandably. Moscone is not alone in aching for a sense of rootedness; the world is crazy at the moment. Spring’s belted pantsuits with longer jackets (one in black had wickedly sloped shoulders) spoke of power and protection without being stiff. Moscone also feminized black-tie dressing, showing a dress and top and pants ensemble with satin lapel scarfs that brought ease to formal dressing.
That being said, the designer said spring’s offering had “a focus on day.” The designs that felt most 9-to-5 include the opening look, a jacket and sharply tailored pants in a “speckled cotton that feels like linen,” according to the designer, and the shirt dresses; one in crisp striped cotton and another using the wrinkle technique she introduced for fall. Dressier were a series of double layer organza voiles in colors like honeydew, cantaloupe, and bing cherry. Moscone said she was drawn to the way artists Pipilotti Rist and Rachel Whiteread “play with layering transparencies.” The designer’s aim, which was achieved, was to create a sense of “softness and airiness.” But there was something else at play here too, within the context of the idea of home. Moscone’s use of sheer oversheaths (an idea introduced for spring 2025) created a sense of interiority; as in there is a protective barrier between outside and inside. Her decision to show sparkling embroideries under a layer of voile might be an example of “hiding one’s light under a bushel,” or it could be an example of a sartorial Easter egg, the kind that surprises, delights, and welcomes you to come closer to the wearer.
