While the rest of us have been slouching around the house for nearly 12 whole months in loungewear that ranges from found-at-the-back-of-our-PJ-drawer to newly purchased, pastel-hued co-ord, Kate Moss was, naturally, doing things differently. No, the supermodel hasn’t spent the pandemic suited and booted (her eternal appeal lies somewhere in the idea that she is, in fact, very normal) but her lockdown look of course far supersedes ours.
For i-D’s latest blockbuster print issue, themed “The Utopia In Dystopia”, Moss graces the cover in a smiley-print vintage tee, while inside you’ll find a rare Q&A with the model. The editorial, shot by cult photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, sees her relaxing in a striped armchair in a slew of collectable vintage T-shirts courtesy of stylist Max Pearmain’s personal collection. The tees range from a 1994 Jenny Holzer number to a 1999 piece from legendary hip hop collective and record label Ruff Ryders but for Moss, her most treasured possession is “an old Fleetwood Mac T-shirt that I love”.
Whether your favourite vintage tee is from a sweaty gig, the gift shop of an exhibition, stolen from your ex or emblazoned with a political slogan, the nostalgia of a one-of-a-kind keepsake T-shirt is irreplaceable. While the throwback item is forever inspiring fashion – just look to Gucci’s Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse collectibles, or Paco Rabanne’s retro postcard-inspired pieces – the vintage knit is having a moment, too. Rowing Blazers recently revived Princess Diana’s slogan knits of choice, one reading, fabulously, “I’m A Luxury Few Can Afford”. Elsewhere, Rodarte is looking to the motifs of metalhead merch for its sweatshirt selection. It turns out, when we’ve all been wearing face masks and missing IRL communication more than ever, saying it with your chest really is best.
Post-lockdown, though, it seems as if Moss is looking forward to throwing off the comfortwear and dressing up just as much as we are. “When we’re allowed to have a proper party, what would you wear?” she is asked in an interview accompanying the shoot. “Something chiffon that I can waft around in,” she replies. Now that’s the kind of post-lockdown cocktail party we want to be invited to.
Alongside Moss, i-D‘s “The Utopia In Dystopia” multi-issue launch has featured fellow ’90s Super Naomi Campbell and American rapper Travis Scott (who took over a newsstand in LA and sold merch – tees included – directly to his fans).
Issue 362 of i-D, “The Utopia In Dystopia”, is available here now.
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