Margaux Wilson (model and actress Maria McDonald) finds it hard to stay stone-faced on the catwalk with a killer in her midst.
Even if you’re a horror fan, there’s a good chance you haven’t ventured deep enough into the annals of the international back catalogs to come across a slasher called Nothing Underneath. And why would you? If you’re looking for Italian, your first stop is Argento. You might like the stark contrast between high style and low-down dirty doings, and end up back in the sixties with Bava, at no point coming across the genre-blending oddity. On the other hand, even if you went searching for a slasher set in the fashion world, the deepest you might get is The Eyes of Laura Mars before ever turning a blind remote control to Carlo Vanzina’s 1985 giallo-cum-supernatural supermodel chiffonade. Which is a shame, because not only are you unknowingly skipping over the kind of stylish and sinister spectacle that subgenres are made for, you’re also missing out on quite possibly the best footage of a Moschino runway show of the decade, one that would define a rising star and establish a brand for our time.
“This film was from a specific time in Italian exploitation horror movie-making where they were into not just bringing over English speaking or American or British actors to be in them, but also grounding the narratives in a more international setting,” explained Joe Rubin, one of the owners and co-founders of Vinegar Syndrome, an American distribution company that specializes in restoring, preserving, and re-releasing genre films like Nothing Underneath. In 2023, after nearly two years navigating the treacherous waters of obscure international film distribution, and even more just tracking down the film’s owners, Vinegar Syndrome released a gorgeous 4K restoration of the film from the original negative replete with its even lesser-known (but unconnected) “sequel,” Too Beautiful to Die. “The world of modeling was always a very enticing place to set a murder mystery.”
Indeed, between the photoshoots, the catwalks, and the requisite hard-partying that comes with them, it’s a wonder the characters even have time to commit to any killing. That isn’t to say the film is lacking in plot, however, as disturbing psychic visions bring American park ranger Bob Crane (Tom Schanley) to Milan in search of his disappeared supermodel twin sister. During his hunt, he finds himself in the middle of drug-fueled bisexual trysts, a trip to Wendy’s for spaghetti with horror legend Donald Pleasance (seriously), and even Moschino’s S/S 1984 show, undoubtedly the film’s centerpiece.
“Nothing Underneath is as iconic as the designer Franco Moschino himself,” fashion archivist Jennie Walker told me. Walker, who claims the United States’s largest collection of vintage Moschino at over 3,000 pieces, lent her Mondrian Art is Love jacket to Lauren Daigle during the American Idol finale and the color block jacket seen on Sarah Sherman (playing Fran Drescher) to a recent episode of Saturday Night Live. “Rather by design or a happy accident, this iconic film chose just the right designer to stand the test of time and has become a symbol of all things 1980s, fashion, and Italian.”
The sequence, which takes place over two songs, features iconic signatures the brand has harkened back to multiple times in its tenure, including prominent bovine symbolism, western references juxtaposed against the Italian flag, and even Gloria Gaynor’s “I Am What I Am,” which would become both Franco Moschino’s favorite anthem and something of an epitaph for the late designer, who died of AIDS-related complications in 1994.
Vintage Moschino from the Jennie Walker Archive shows how the silhouettes showcased in Nothing Underneath would remain part of the brand’s DNA for decades.
Courtesy of Jennie Walker
Citing films including Bava’s Blood and Black Lace, Altman’s Prêt-à-Porter, and the infamous Emmanuelle saga, Rubin suggested the popularity of the fashion world at its most salacious on-screen may have something to do with the nature of the beast. “Nothing Underneath, especially in Italy, was sold for the sexualized elements of the environment in which it was set. The models are all having sex with each other, backstabbing each other, basically all implied to either be lesbians or bisexual. The implication is that there's one big orgy going on in the modeling world, which of course, was a very exciting premise for an exploitation film.” Though Rubin said a film like Nothing Underneath “would probably not even make it past like a pitch session” today, he believes it could still happen with “the right creative team” to beat the odds.
Hey, it happened once: although his cheeky sense of humor may have been what drew Franco Moschino to recreate his entire S/S 1984 show for a pop-giallo killer thriller with elements of the supernatural, it ended up being something of a master-stroke. “The act of agreeing to recreate his Moschino runway show for use in the movie and even playing himself in the movie would have been a cutting-edge move at the time, providing an international platform at a critical time for the brand,” continued Walker. “Forty years later, collaborations between fashion brands and film are routine. And, forty years later, Moschino continues to push the envelope of fashion with their unmistakable sense of humor seemingly irreverent on an industry, with so much money at stake, that occasionally takes itself too seriously.”
At far right, the designer Franco Moschino makes a brief personal appearance sending supermodel Barbara (Renee Simonsen) out to the catwalk.
Courtesy of Nothing Underneath/ Vinegar Syndrome
As the industry eagerly awaits Moschino’s return to Milan Fashion Week today, for the much-anticipated debut of new head designer Adrian Appiolaza, who takes the helm following Jeremy Scott’s critically-contested tenure and the tragic death of creative director Davide Renne, how much the brand looks to its heritage remains to be seen. “Some of those really old pieces from when Franco Moschino was with the brand and assisted by Rossella Jardini, who took over after he died, really created strong reactions with stylists and costume designers,” said Walker, who is “very excited” about Appiolaza’s arrival.
In the end, the late Franco Moschino may still be having the last laugh: in fashion, as within Nothing Underneath, it takes instincts, talent, and a sense of humor to make a killing.
Nothing Underneath is available on Tubi, and as part of a collector’s edition double feature DVD from Vinegar Syndrome. Learn more about The Jennie Walker Archive here, and rent her vintage Moschino exclusively through Clothed in Hollywood.