On Monday night ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend, Marc Jacobs returned to the New York Public Library for his off-season fall runway show that was chock full of vibrant, clashing hues and short, short silhouettes galore. Talk about eye candy!
His show notes, titled “Gratitude,” referenced the importance of learning how to recognize abundance no matter the circumstances. “Creating, as an act of gratitude, is my truest form of self-expression,” Jacobs wrote.
Similar to his prior runway show in February, the American designer credited those who have inspired his path. Here, he brought Junya Watanabe’s spring ‘96 sheer and slick nylon layers (shirts, pants, trompe l’oeil lingerie slip dresses, and more) to life in vibrant shades of pinks, blues, purples and contrasted them over bold, color-contrasting opaque tights and bodysuits — a nod to Bob Fosse’s “All That Jazz.” References of Prada spring 2007, his own Louis Vuitton spring 2009, Yves Saint Laurent spring ‘93 and Chanel ‘93 were also present in both color and silhouette while sweet mid-Aughts nostalgia came through chunky piles of necklaces and layered belts that adorned a majority of the tight lineup.
Each look, although daring in a playfully sexy way, also carried through spring’s ethos of offering his customer something a bit more commercial — in a good way. It seemingly spoke to the brand’s new summer campaign strategy of mixing his spring show fashions with his more affordable pre-fall, handbags and beauty offerings for the first time. His fall collection pushed this idea one step further through garments — shimmering embroidered jackets and strapless corset tops, to name two — that would feel equally at home on the runway as they would in his stores.
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Jacobs’ study, or rather lesson, in enlivening wardrobes with heightened colorblocking continued with a mix of brights against jewel tones — great hip-jutting croco structured miniskirts, pvc-fringed tiny tank dresses, and plastic-y scoop tanks with sweet polka dot pleated skirts (a nod to his own spring ‘98 and 2000 designs) — layered over those sheer knit and nylon base layers.
From start to finish (a quick four minutes), Jacobs’ concise 31-look runway displayed a strong statement in concise repetition and the power of color that once again brought forth joy and surprise.
It certainly seemed to impress his company’s soon-to-be new owners. This show marked one of transition for the House of Jacobs and the audience reflected that. In one seat sat Sidney Toledano, representing Jacobs’ current owner LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. Nearby were Yehuda Shmidman, Effy Zinkin and Stanley Silverstein of WHP Global and Morris Goldfarb of G-III Apparel, who acquired the brand last month. A whole new day.
