Marc Jacobs S/S 2014 New York

[Scott]

of all those references not a single one to kawakubo. why am i not surprised? though i am surprised however cathy didn't raise that point....has she gone soft on us now? i did nevertheless agree with her final point....for all those references and influences,not a single one unfolded into any real substantial point whatsoever.....in the end it just comes across as shallow and self-indulgent. not to mention staid. i mean the victoriana stuff as much as i love that era i see nothing new in those pieces that we haven't seen done better several seasons ago when it was at its height.

 

[tangerine]

While I was watching this I found it confusing, deliberately dark and ugly (Teva sandals? ) and outright weird. "Sofas and curtains on a bad trip" ran through my mind. I didn't hate it, didn't like it, and it mostly left me cold, which I found strange given how extreme it appeared on the surface.

Afterwards, I thought about what his frame of mind must have been in creating this show. Too much partying and subsequent hangover was the scenario I came up with. Apparently I was not far off.

I liked the set and the Coca Cola sweater but the rest of it still leaves me cold.

 

[Phuel]

I usually don't like Marc Jacob's design, and his personality. If there is one designer who has been hyped and silver-spoon fed by the industry since the beginning of his career, it's him.

So holding that bias against him, I liked his Liza Minellii-ode collection of A/W 2013, and I like this one. It's nothing new, but I never got anything new from Marc before. I juts like the dark, wine somber colors that feel like it's always twilight and even the heaviness of the silhouettes; it's really such a relief from all the soft, sorbet, pastel predictability that many continue to parade for a S/S collection that I've always detested. I really like how athletic, even stocky all the models look-- complete with thick ankles... They look like genuine surfergirls and skatergirls in how solid their physiques appears-- even the awkward bleached-blonde-withdark-roots wig worked for me. And in that sense, there's an authenticity to Marc's presentation, even as much as the references in the garments and styling may clearly point to the visionaries he's always copying-- I mean, inspired by.

On a purely superficial level, I just like it-- best NY collection. I don't need Marc to validate his designs when they're good with anything deep or remotely intellectual. He's not that type of a designer foe me.

 

[shanhuq]

I really am not sure how I feel about this collection as a whole, it was extremely strange but to be honest I felt the same way about the fall collection. (I still haven't made up my mind on that collection but Vuitton I thought was a vile pj party mess.) Anyways on this collection the victorian dresses were most definitely my favorite part of this. I mean I doubt we will see much of them on red carpets, ect but if styled well they could make amazing editorial pieces. The campaign for this collection also if done well can be absolutely fantastic. Shot on an abandon ship late at night. The Prada-esque prints did bother me but to be honest I expected it. I also did see some of Miu Miu F/W 13 in the shapes of the officer coats. For some reason also my initial thought of this collection was the Flying Dutchman from Spongebob. I'm still not sure my final feeling towards this, but it's most likely positive.

 

[simple_elegance]

My immediate thought with those first five looks was a mix of Henry VIII and Spanish matador...lololololo

Well, this was certainly unexpected, to say the least.

 

[VogueDisciple93]

Cathy's full review

September 13, 2013
Marc Jacobs: Left Undernourished By the Final Course
By CATHY HORYN

Even if Marc Jacobs were not the most celebrated American designer working on two continents, he would be described in terms of a separate country. People hold him apart from Fashion Week. They say, “Let’s see what Marc does on Thursday night.”

Well, Thursday night came. As usual, he surprised people.

A rainstorm hit just as guests arrived at the armory on Lexington Avenue. Inside, it was like an oven; it certainly felt as if the humidity of the last several days had been trapped in there. Fans and bottled water were handed out. I didn’t hear anyone complain, though maybe they were too stunned and tired.

The set for the show resembled a blackened, littered beach, with a broken-down bus, a huge lifeguard stand partly swept with sand, and a wooden pier at the far end of the armory. Snaking through the set was an elevated runway covered in black sand. There were quite a few cigarette butts ground into it.

It took awhile for the models to get close enough to really see what they were wearing. The first ones wore maroon or cadet blue jackets embellished with black braid and tassels. Hamish Bowles, reviewing the collection for Vogue, made reference to Mary Todd Lincoln, and though he was including the elaborate leg-o-mutton sleeve gowns with beading that closed the show, the 1860s cue (minus the period underpinnings) feels right.

The collection’s other looks included chunky leaf-patterned tops and skirts (possibly a take on surfer prints), and darkly colored sweatshirts with beaded skirts. The models wore identical streaky blond wigs seemingly hacked with dull scissors.

My first thought was a calamity caused by global warming. What else could explain the out-of-season clothes and the detritus on the beach, not to mention great-granny’s old duds?

But, with Mr. Jacobs, there’s always a better explanation. Afterward, he ticked off Burning Man, the art event in Nevada; a frat party on a beach; and Paul McCarthy’s work “White Snow.” Then, noting that the model Jamie Bochert is a muse, he said, “She always comes in wearing these beautiful old clothes.”

He shrugged. “Self-expression. Nothing new. Just good old self-expression.”

No, it wasn’t new. And for those hoping for a show as stimulating as Mr. Jacobs’s last one, with at least good food for thought, this one seemed to lack vital nutrients. The influences that Mr. Jacobs cited were all interesting, yet somehow they yielded little new information about design and self-expression. The braided jackets were striking, but I recall that when Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons did a version of a 19th-century style, it seemed newly minted in her imagination. And while I also think that many people don’t always think about seasons when they buy clothes, the heaviness here is hard to overlook.

nytimes.com

 

[SabrinaNicole]

They're like shipwrecked Atlanteans. Now that they're safe on the Playa, or wherever they are, maybe they can take off those ridiculous outfits and borrow more suitable things to wear from some other burners. No wait, that goes against the idea of radical self-reliance ........... Well, hipsters everywhere are sure to feel good and smug all dressed in dark stuff next summer.

I'm not sure how he can be inspired by something he's never been to.

 

[Scott]

thanks for that vogue disciple....i knew i hadn't seen that in the original posting and befuddled me cathy of all people not picking up on it.

 

[Littleathquakes]

Cathy puts into words my exact thoughts. Except she does it way more eloquently.

 

[agee]

Once I overlooked the wigs, I actually responded well to the collection. I like the dresses at the end, again I had to set aside the baby-ish styling to appreciate the looks.

 

[pen6693]

They should have just sent the models with a ponytail, because those wigs weren't cute.

 

[fashionista-ta]

Not one of his best. I find it also rather difficult to recognize as his work ... not much of a signature on this collection. To me only some of the colors in the prints, and I suppose some of the gowns, are recognizably Marc Jacobs.