"Rebellious Classicism"

Marc Jacobs takes on New York with an Homage to Bygone Extravagance.

There was a sense of scaled down flamboyance at the Marc Jacobs fall 09 show at the NY State Armory on Monday 16th. No Sonic Youth or mirrored hallways to dazzle the audience, nor was there a celebrity audience to dazzle the press. It was simply the designs that were on offer, and the meandering catwalk allowed everyone to take a front row seat, or at least the fashion savy who were seated for the promt 8pm start, including Carine Roitfeld and Anna Wintour. So with everyone is a prime location, did the designs manage to hold their own?

Jacobs took the opportunity to return to the bygone era of 1980's New York with a collection that seemed to ignore 'crisis couture' with high hemlines and flamboyant colours. Despite the precarious financial situation the fashion world shockingly is not totally bankrupt and Jacobs made his own mark stating "Is all-black going to help the economy?" also saying backstage that the collection was an homage to "what New York used to be like before it was gentrified and such a boring place to live - when artists could make a living here." Perhaps this is the reason the designer spends the majority of his time in Paris now.












The collection certainly harked back to an era of excitement . Moving from trim, aqua peacoats to architectural floral bubble skirts and Balmainesque sculpted shoulders, Marc Jacobs took the eighties by storm encapsulating party girl to power dresser.
The show opened with smoky grey knits and sharp tailoring moving followed by floral leggings and modest patent pumps. Modesty ruled only in the accessories, which were scarse, Jacobs choosing to enhance each design with gravity defying quiffs and frizzy dos with David Bowie-esque Ziggy Stardust eye makeup. There seemed to be no rules, just expression. The striped pleat midi skirts with sequined shirts echoed elements of his S/S 09, yet the fall collection is far less opulent. Violet ruffled prom dresses and corseted lamé blouses mix together the classiness and brassiness of all things eighties. Cerise lined black tuxedo jackets over dresses that appear like ribbons unravelling followed by lace and net bustiers make reference to vintage Versace and Azzedine Alaia.



The revival of eighties colour and eccentrity is ever present however, there is no definitive theme of continuity to the pieces in the collection, each one seems a statement in its own right which has led to varied reviews. While Suzy Menkes praises Marc Jacobs for adopting the Obama "yes we can" enthusiasm and 'tapping into the exhuberance of youth' while the New York Times suggest that 'their is very little sense of enjoyment or relish in the clothes, qualities we associate with 80's dressing.' What Jacobs certainly does is retain a sense of vibrancy in a financial climate, particularly in America, that is distinctly sombre.