Dispatches from New York Fashion Week: Marc Jacobs

Our very own Alyssa Giacobbe is on the scene at Fashion Week. She reports from last night’s always-punctual Marc Jacobs show.

Invites for last night’s Marc Jacobs presentation at the New York State Armory said the show would start at 9, which typically means don’t bother showing up before 9:45. This time, it turned out to mean, “Oh dear, did we say 9? We really meant 11.” (11:10 to be exact.)

Once the doors opened, though, the stars were all out: Heath Ledger and Debbie Harry; Courtney Love, appearing to have spent the 2:10 wait doing shots of Jager somewhere; and Victoria Beckham who, in a beyond tight fuschia and cream dress, was taking no chances of being upstaged by Mischa Barton (or was that Rachel Baker?).

The Hills girls were supposedly there (minus Heidi) though they were uncharacteristically nowhere to be seen, at least not from my seat in the 5th row. Neither was Michelle Rodriguez’s home arrest ankle bracelet, which famously accessorized her satiny cream Marc dress at the Fall show last February. Good for her!

The collection was shown in reverse, with Marc opening the runway presentation with a bow, followed by the grand finale—a parade of bouffants and out-there accessories like coke-bottle glasses, black velvet kiddie party cone hats, and glittery devil’s horns.

Of the rest of it, parts were very Warhol; parts straight out of Nan Giacobbe’s wardrobe circa 1960, all exposed slips, neat crewneck sweaters, and dishpan gloves. Parts of it was truly bananas. But it was all very Marc; fun, surprising, and—the best part—never, ever too self-serious.