Marc Jacobs officially closed NYFW with a show that turned up the drama and put the ‘F’ in fashion. And I thought it was “Fu*king Fabulous”! The fall 2018 collection is all about a bold, oversized silhouette, strong shoulder, luxurious, gutsy fabrics and fabric mixes (leather, metallic, wool jersey, cashmere, taffeta, etc.), and a grown up, dressed up glamour that evokes another place and time; one that has nothing at all to do with street-wear or athleisure. The main focus was on day-wear and sportswear done in a way that is very couture like and very dressed to the nines. These are not clothes for ingenues, but rather, for real, gown up women.
It instantly conjured up Yves Saint Laurent, who has been a constant inspiration for the Marc through the years, but everything (the shapes, silhouettes, details, proportion) was bigger and more exaggerated as is usually the case with Marc; Yves Saint Laurent on steroids.
These are not clothes for the faint of heart. And the over scaled proportions are not for the very petite. Color has been a big story this season and Marc’s color combinations, like Yves, are sophisticated: a mix of jewel tones and brights (turquoise, jade, aubergine, teal, yellow, mustard, pink, purple) almost always played down with brown, gray, or black.
Coats have also been stellar this season but leave it to Marc to send out a lineup of the most deliciously oversized and colorful cashmere coats with huge matching scarves. There were also beautifully crafted coats in leather and sheared mink, mannish overcoats in glen plaid and Donegal tweed and a number of impossibly chic long belted trench coats.
With the exception of a few evening dresses, the models were literally covered in fabric from head to toe and each look was fully realized and complete in and of itself. There were high waisted cropped trousers and skirts that were rounded at the hip; cropped boleros in thick cashmere, mannish boxy double breasted jackets with matching trousers or skirts, beautiful taffeta blouses (some striped) with pronounced, face framing flower like details, elongated sweaters, some shot with lurex, and several body conscious color blocked jersey dresses.
Evening gowns had enormous balloon sleeves or trains. The legs were always covered in opaque tights and there were both flat and heeled oxfords, velvet and satin pumps (some were striped and were decorated with bows or jeweled embellishments), and gleaming leather boots. Accessories included long fur stoles, extra wide leather belts, structured belt bags, and leather gauntlets.
Most of the models wore black scarves which completely covered their hair and chic black brimmed black hats by Stephen Jones while a few had their had dyed to match their ensembles (courtesy colorist Josh Wood). What an eyeful. I think it’s safe to say many of us were hungry for this sort of thing and it could not have come at a better time. It was the highlight of the week, along with Raf Simons for Calvin Klein, a collection that was completely different in mood and aesthetic.
A great way to end the week.
– Marilyn Kirschner
