Ask me how happy I am that Jennie Walker came into my life! She owns the largest known working vintage Moschino collection in the United States. Over 2,000 pieces of color maximalism! Her archive goes beyond dopamine dressing. It’s historical, couture quality, and timeless, vibrant style. Stylists pull from it, celebrities wear it, and the archive keeps growing because she keeps hunting. Now, red is her color. She did wear black for decades before she let color in, which makes her exactly the right person to tell you how to start. I am so excited she said yes to DomaChroma Magazine! Follow her on Instagram @msjenniewalker, and on TikTok @thejenniewalkerarchive. Find her fascinating archive at thejenniewalkerarchive.com.
DomaChroma: What is your favorite color, and why?
Jennie Walker: Red is my favorite color, and Black is my favorite absence of color! As a blond blue-eyed woman, I pop when wearing red. It’s the color of passion and fire. It makes me feel seen, strong and confident. I recently started wearing red glasses. I also use red and black in my company branding for The Jennie Walker Archive. I think the colors represent sophistication and passion for my work.
DC: You hold the largest known working vintage Moschino collection in the US, at over 2,000 pieces. What was the piece that started it all?
JW: The first piece of Moschino in my archive was a baby blue, Moschino Couture! maxi skirt with embroidered suns around the bottom above the words (Oh Sole Mio) with a striped bow and ribbon around the waist in red, white and green, the colors of the Italian Flag. When I received the skirt, I was overwhelmed with joy. I thought it should be in a museum. A photographer saw the skirt in the consignment shop I owned at the time and asked if I had considered loaning it out for shoots.
That compliment confirmed my own feelings about the skirt so I immediately began looking for more pieces by the brand. That search started what has become a 10-year mission to find the best pieces of Moschino on the planet. I never set out to have so much Moschino, but over time, it accumulated and also became a sourcing challenge for me.
When I started working with a Hollywood rental house, they began getting the pieces on celebrities and the exposure was priceless. This is what compelled me to keep going and keep finding great pieces.
I eventually learned that vintage Moschino pieces were featured in The Nanny TV show, and the Fran Fine Fashion What Fran Wore IG account, which was created after the TV show The Nanny joined HBO Max. Those reruns and IG account inspired many women to want to dress like Fran Fine, and I was able to supply many of those looks to shoppers through my archive.
DC: What does Franco Moschino’s bold use of color teach us, that fashion seems to forget today?
JW: The brand started in 1983, and in the mid 1980s bold color was all the rage. Think of the primary colors you find in a Crayola box. It was about popping in blue, red, green, yellow, orange. You get the picture. But those early collections in 1983 by Franco Moschino were more muted in color.
Which is interesting because before Moschino started his own brand, he was an illustrator for Gianni Versace, who was well known for loud colors. The collections quickly began gaining color and the colors were used to tell a deeper story about the brand.
The colors are a way for Moschino to “mock” the fashion industry’s luxury labels, which are more reserved and toned down with colors. There are many instances of bold colors in the collection, such as the striped car wash blazer, top and skirt in yellow, red, green, purple, orange and blue.
There is an early circus collection, which had a lot of color. That collection was reworked and reintroduced by Jeremy Scott during his tenure and it is loud and proud. It sells well and rents well through my archive.
DC: How has your own relationship with color changed while creating your business?
JW: I used to wear all black all the time. It was easy and it was something I started wearing during college, where pink, green and preppy styles were all the rage.
Once I started wearing black, I never stopped. Black with white and red dominated my personal closet for decades and still does. As I have evolved my work with clothing, I have seen with my own eyes how people long for a more festive, bright and colorful look for their wardrobes.
When I wear colors, like red or green or blue, I always get compliments. I literally become more alive. Clients are looking for special occasion pieces and that usually means color. They usually already have the basic black dress in their wardrobe.
DC: What is your message to anyone who’s scared to wear bold, joyful color?
JW: I would suggest you dip your toe into color by way of an accent piece, like a bag, scarf, shoes, jewelry or belt. Test the waters and see how you feel. Color is also about being seen. You have to be willing to be seen. You have to be willing to stand out.
There are also professionals (and books and videos) who can help you learn the best colors to wear for your skin tone. I’ve been through that process, and I can say from experience, it works. I also recommend using lesser tones and amping it up over time.
For example, start with a pale pink and increase the tone of that pink over time. Eventually, you might even get to magenta! If you have a big personality and are not wearing color, now would be a great time to take the plunge.
