New York Fashion Week Day 4:Marc Jacobs Sets The Pace

Last season, in response to a scandalously late show the season before that, Marc Jacobs moved his show to the final showtime of Fashion Week, which had traditionally been the place of honor for the leading designer of any city's runway schedule. Yves Saint Laurent held it in Paris for decades, and for years, Calvin Klein owned the time slot in New York. The move was not only a response to irritated showgoers,  but also seen as a way of claiming the last word on the season's shows.
It was a one-time aberration, however as Marc moved back to Monday nights this season. It seems that instead of having the last word, he would rather set the pace, and that he did with a blockbuster of a show that, like his best work, will delight many and bewilder others.
There are a few things that can be counted on at a Marc Jacobs show. A crush at the door, a choice smattering of celebrities and bleacher seating in the Lexington Avenue Armory are all part of the Jacobs template, but nobody knows what will actually show up on the runway beyond that it will be different from last season. Happily, Jacobs did not return to his tradition of late showings, and shortly after 9PM, as crowds were still pushing into the venue, loudspeakers announced that the show would be starting iminently, treating early arrivals (like us) to the schadenfreude spectacle of big name editors dashing over the runway to claim their seats before the lights went down. We skipped the Gottex show (which we particularly enjoy) to make sure we would be more than on time. There's no way we could have made it in otherwise. Sorry Gottex, we still love you.
Jacobs' longtime set designer Stefan Beckman created semicircle stage set of mirrored doors through which models emerged to Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue", walking past a wall of mirrors set at angles to reflect flashes of their images to those on the other side of the catwalk until they rounded the corner to walk back. It was a mesmerizing background for the clothes that mixed grunge, gleaming printed fabrics, vintage looks and Hollywood glamor with a whiff of Yves Saint Laurent in a masterly brew that editors will jump on and retailers will dissect and reformulate into highly salable looks for customers. While nearly every model carried a handbag, unlike in many shows that are heavy on accessories, this was no excuse to pile on merchandise. The elaborately patterned bags were integral components of each look, but will probably sell like candy on their own.
Jacobs delivered was what anyone who regularly attends fashion shows anticipates but doesn't receive often enough: a Fashion Moment, the kind you can feel in the air and in the breathless anticipation of the audience. To witness it, he called back nearly every celebrity who had ever attended one of his shows, and added a few new ones. In attendance were Jennifer Lopez, Victoria Beckham, Winona Ryder, Nicole Ritchie, Martha Stewart, Sofia Coppola, Jay-Z (sans Beyoncé), Kim Raver, Kanye West, Sean Avery, Róisín Murphy, Becki Newton, Kelly Osbourne, Kim Gordon, Rachel Zoe, Kevin Aviance, Perry Farrell, Natasha Lyonne, Stephanie Seymour, Helena Christensen, Padma Lakshmi, Lauren Hutton, Jay Alexander, Matthew Settle, Joel Schumacher, and seen later at the party, Anne Hathaway and Elijah Wood. So many celebrities in one place, and he wasn't even handing out awards.
The Rundown comes after the jump, and just for you, dear readers, our own shaky video of the finale.
Enjoy!

THE RUNDOWN:
MODELS
Diversity Quotient: 9.5%
53 models including Jessica Stam, Raquel Zimmerman, Agyness Deyn & Freja Beha Erickson and her nipple ring in 53 looks.
3 Black models, Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn and Sessilee Lopez. 2 Asian  Models, Han Jin and Du Juan.
CELEBRITIES
See above
SWAG
Going to the after party was swag enough with the drinks and h'ors d'oeuvres.

Comments

[Marc Jacobs Bag fan]

The stage looked quite impressive. I expected the collection to be a bit more creative and suitable for my taste. Over all it was quite good.