This is getting to be a habit – foreign designers becoming the hottest moment of London Fashion Week...
Last season, Giorgio Armani was the to-die-for invite with his multi-show, mega London meets Ibiza bash; this week it was the turn of Marc Jacobs, who celebrated the opening of his swish new London boutique with a surprisingly opulent and plush Marc by Marc Jacobs runway show Friday evening and excellent fete, one so good we saw grown men, albeit fashionista freeloaders in gender bending PVC pants, cry when refused admission.
In effect, Jacobs “did a Miu Miu” with his second line, upgrading the fabric quality and overall finish and growing up the clothes a couple of years, smartly mimicking Prada's recent move to make its junior collection a different but equal line.
The whole evening also marked how much this alternative designer, has morphed socially, from his bohemian youth to a boutique on Mount Street, Mayfair, the, let's recall, most expensive property on the London Monopoly board. Plans are to add stores in Moscow, Dubai and Beirut this year burgeoning the Jacobs boutique chain to 60.
The choice of locations said it all: the show was staged in Claridges, the hotel of choice for thrusting Old English money; the party in The Connaught, the classiest hotel on the planet, where country house charm meets understated elitism.
The actual collection was a mélange of trapper chic, the sort of Commonwealth clothes a very hip Canadian gal would wear. By that we mean – metallic flannel dresses, thick wool check coats, comfy plaid frocks and ribbed wooly leggings.
Marc is expecting a cold fall/winter 2007 as evidenced by his Klondike, fur trimmed boots in things like white cavalino – Italian for pony by the way. North of the 41st parallel model Jessica Stam looked very much at home.
Marc by Marc Jacobs is always a mixed sex show, this season the guys appearing with carpet bags, many-strapped hiking boots, chunky workerist tartan short coats, thin ties and herring bone pants – described in the program notes as “multiFitzgerald” a term whose origin escapes even this peripatetic critic. Many men wore great-looking, deep-pocketed cardigans as scarves; so many we almost thought Markus Ebner had styled the show.
The great and gabby were out on force, everyone from Nicky Haslam, Nick Rhodes and John Mayberry to Francesca Versace, Yasmin Le Bon and Manchester model of the moment Agyness. An immense quantity of champagne was imbibed in the Connaught party, where Jacobs took over the whole ground floor, with four bars, a great wee bijoux dance floor and a polite restaurant serving excellent risotto and miniature tiramisu.
They even got the goody bag right: guests left with a large Union Jack towel, on which was written: “Marc Jacobs London 24-25 Mount Street London WIK 2RR.” So, now you know where to shop.
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