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Marc Jacobs and models at his New York Fashion Week AW17 show
Credit: Getty Images
The Marc Jacobs show traditionally signals the official end of New York Fashion Week – the circus has now set up tent in London and always promises to be a spectacular. The designer, known for his dramatic shows and OTT beauty looks, shocked the fash pack when he stripped things back to basics.
Gone were the elaborate sets, the whiz-bang lighting, the music and the coloured dreadlocks and gothic faces of previous seasons. In their place were two simple rows of chairs set up partially on the streets of Park Avenue for the part runway, part installation. A diverse mix of mods including Kendall Jenner, Alex Wek, Julia Nobis and Winnie Harlow sat down on chairs at the end of their runway walk and obsessively hit their iPhones.
SEE THE FULL MARC JACOBS AW17 RUNWAY SHOW HERE.
Yes you read right: no music, no lighting, no iPhones by the media allowed, and amazingly no big bold beauty statement. Faces were bare save for the odd burgundy lip and a hint of black liner here and there. Hair was also free to run wild.
Marc Jacobs AW17
The emphasis instead was on the hats (bowlers, beanies and baseball caps by renowned milliner Stephen Jones), the retro sunglasses and the ears that dripped in ghetto-fabulous gilt keys and giant hoops. And lest we forget the vampy pinot talons emblazoned with the letters M A R C J A C O B S (in gold of course).
Marc Jacobs AW17
“As a born and bred New Yorker, it was during my time at the High School of Art and Design when I began to see and feel the influence of hip-hop on other music as well as art and style. This collection is my representation of the well-studied dressing up of casual sportswear. It is an acknowledgement and gesture of my respect for the polish and consideration applied to fashion from a generation that will forever be the foundation of youth culture street style,” said Jacobs of the collection that was heavy on bling (from the layers of long gold necklaces and medallions to the lurex mini dresses and pantsuits) and generous displays of fur.
Marc Jacobs takes a bow after his AW17 show
Marc Jacobs AW17
For this was of course a modern and ultra glamorous take on hip-hop fashion. From the fur-trimmed coats (some in cheetah spots) styled over shimmering ’70s party dresses, to the sexy thigh high platform boots (in neutral shades and bright red), bell-bottom tracksuit pants (in bright shades and luxe corduroy) and dressy baggy denim. The stage may have lacked all the usual bells and whistles but the clothing made up for it.
Australian star Julia Nobis for Marc Jacobs AW17
Beauty note Diane Kendall using Tom Ford make up created 37 individual looks for the models which pretty much amounted to cabernet lipstick, eyeliner and eye gloss. Redken Global Hair Director Guido Palau was responsible (or rather not responsible) for the hair. “I am so relaxed and casual this season. We have blue hair in the show, white hair, long hair, ponytails, short hair – just a little bit of Redken Wind Blown Spray to give it a little bit of texture, but really it’s celebrating the girl and individualism.”
A-list FROW Katie Perry, Mandy Moore, Lottie Moss, Frances Bean Cobain and Lil Kim were all ringside.
Designer Inspo Jacobs was inspired by the Netflix documentary series Hip-Hop Evolution, which traces the genre from the ’70s through to the ’90s.
See the full Marc Jacobs AW17 runway show here.
Marc Jacobs AW17
All runway look images: NOWFASHION
