Marc Jacobs S/S 2015

Now that Marc Jacobs has untethered himself from Louis Vuitton, the American designer is pouring his efforts purely into his own fashion label. The increased intensity could be felt upon stepping foot into the show space, where a towering pink house had been constructed with a shaggy rug in matching shades of bubblegum and lavender. There was something norm-core about the design-less home - as well as the disembodied voice that spoke to each guest through individual Dr Dre headsets placed at each seat - and to some extent this simplicity was carried over to the clothes. That isn’t a criticism; in fact, Jacobs worked and re-worked his theme (which largely centred on fatigues) in so many guises, the utilitarian garments took on a completely new, artistic life. But the base shapes were simple and straightforward: tunic dresses, culottes, army coat dresses cut like kaftans, and belted strapless dresses. Jacobs’ creativity shone through in the way he treated each look, blowing up cargo pockets on the side of dresses, for instance, and punching the seams with large plastic studs. The mood was cool and the details were original – especially the pony skin and velvet Dr Scholl sandals and the uniformly styled black bobs that obliterated the individuality of his models. What felt most familiar, however, were the handbags, which came in all manner of shapes and sizes. Now that’s one trick he took from his past gig in Paris that is going to make the tills ring loudly back home in New York.