At first, it appeared that Marc Jacobs was in either jokester mode or in complete denial when his first model walked out onto the circular runway at The Armory. The space had been revamped amphitheater style, perfect for a Druid congregation under the pagan Sun-like orb that rendered the entire space in a yellow sepia light. On the runway, nothing was discernable save the silhouettes. All color was vacuumed away by the orb on set. All 50+ girls were in and out in just about four minutes. Marc likes speed, but that was just ridiculous. It didn’t take much time soon after to realize that he was neither joking, nor was he in denial. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” has marked the Marc Jacobs runway before, but that was just runway music, really. Here, it was all about that iconic transition – from black and white to color. The positive message may not read quite as sugary as that of Marc by Marc Jacobs a few days prior, but they’re tapped from the same vein.
Turns out that first girl out was Edie Campbell, wearing a pajama skirt suit rendered in a glossy lame’ plaid that shined like liquid mercury. Campbell and crew walked the periphery donning licorice black choppy wigs ala Joan Jett, each cut and styled, one by one, by Guido Palau. Following that context into the clothes, many of the looks were paparazzi-framed. The rock and roll/pop-star exiting the hotel room wearing her fur coat as a dress. Marc tends to be direct when he’s on record about his impulses each season. Leg was clearly his main preoccupation for Fall. A tricky proposition for the Autumn season, but Marc is a New Yorker. He’s probably betting on another warm end of the year. There were hot pants for days, and he styled them to emphasize the varying textures in play. Some came encrusted in crystals and sequins, a copper plaid mini looked beautiful matched with a cocoa striped wool jacket. The fox snoods (with cartoony stuffed animal eyes) added another covetous and playful dimension to that story. Proenza Schouler’s show the night before played with boucle’, rendered with strips of black and white leather. Here, Jacobs turned out slim boucle’ suits in what looked like shimmering Lurex.
It’s a well played, rather grounded progression, and then Marc hits evening, and it’s non-stop wow-factor till the last girl makes the final turn. It’s easy to picture Anna Wintour picking up that burgundy panne velvet knee length dress with a raccoon bed jacket for any of the myriad fetes scheduled for Paris two weeks ahead. The closers, open-backed sheaths encrusted in crystals and metallic sequins, looked more expensive than anything Jacobs has had on the runway in years. It’s all bound to cost a fortune. More understated, but equally inspiring – a black fishnet sequin maxi as seen on Jamie Bochert – may be in the running for dress of the week.