So this show was a bit of a fresh start, with more casual pieces – denim, American flag T-shirts and pointy-toed sneakers – created to extend the collection’s appeal. It was a magnificent touch, which following on the heels of Givenchy that offered tickets to the general public, cemented a new trend of widening beyond the narrow fashion pack the audience for a show. But fun on a mission.
Advertisement
For viewings of all collections from both Skylight at Moynihan Station and Skylight Clarkson Square, runway videos are available on NYFW.com, along with backstage footage and special behind-the-scenes.
But Marc Jacobs just set a new standard. Afterward, as Jacobs greeted guests, including the performers Sandra Bernhard and Bette Midler, he mentioned a documentary that Midler had made in which she said that numerous places she once knew in the city are now gone – replaced by skyscrapers or boutiques and such. They powered down a red carpet in the street outside, in the heart of New York’s entertainment district, to the sounds of the city and cries of “beautiful” and flashing bulbs echoing under the tented canopy. That lead to nostalgic musings while his affinity for Instagram triggered consideration of how today we’re bombarded with visuals.
It was an eyeful, putting Jacobs back at the center of the party. The article compares New York, Milan, Paris and London.
Held in the Ziegfeld Theatre, the shindig included Marc popcorn, a live orchestra, and a parade of models strutting down an outdoor red carpet and into the theater. That sense came across powerfully in Jacobs’s show – without a drop of nostalgia. Plaid silk shirts (priced well south of the original Perry Ellis grunge versions), jeans, varsity sweaters integrated mostly seamlessly with his exquisitely rendered luxe offerings, with an emphasis on intricate embroideries.
If this all-inclusive expression of his brand’s new range is a one-season choice – fantastic, and is in keeping with his ethos; the afore-noted mood swing being a house code. He is one of fashion’s great storytellers.
Advertisement
Best in show: The clothes were just as over the top as the show production.
