it was 7:20pm PST, and i was waiting and refreshing getty images and yahoo news for marc jacobs runway pics. it was already reported that the show would start a hour and a half late, but it was now pushing over 2 hours. and then, pregnant karen elson appears on the runway, in a trapeze cashmere top and cropped pants and a floppy hat, and i knew instantly i was witnessing a change in the wind.
for f/w 05, marc’s inspiration was violet from the incredibles, edward gorey and winona ryder in edward scissorhands. then in s/s, he explored what he called “typical american sportswear.” this season, when asked about his inspiration, he said, “it’s about the places i’ve been, the people i know…” and clearly those people and places are his friends, the sofia coppolas and kim gordons, the downtown girls who pile it all on with such effortless ease.
on the surface, everything seems to be a bit much, but if you dissect the runway into individual pieces, you see great knitwear, leather skirts and dresses with leather inserts, skirts with “sleeves,” meant to look as if they were tied on, draped plaid, slouchy flannel trousers, velvet floral trim and skirts, woven strapless gowns, even tattered lace and pink velour leopard prints.
all the pieces had a sort of “vagabond richness,” to quote the nytimes’ cathy horyn. not a mary-kate boho vagabond, but an urban woman, who has collected all these great pieces over the years, new and vintage, uptown and downtown, and it all works.
equally interesting were the accessories: patent leather t-straps, flat bottom heels, velour, sequin or wool mushroom hats, chain handle bags, and chunky heeled hiking boots.
