Fashion Week SS08: Marc Jacobs

Bad news: The Marc Jacobs show was going to be delayed by two hours, late by even Marc Jacobs standards. Publicity agents circulated through the hipper-than-thou crowd, suggesting that everyone go get something to eat, get some dinner or something. No one moved.

“There’s a bar across the street?” a waiting editor said.

Mass exodus.

The show pinpointed what the crowd outside already knew: There’s no one way to corner the market on cool. Breaking with other designers, Marc Jacobs showed a number of silk shift dresses in a cinched-waist season that was already starting to feel a bit constricted. Taking up the challenge to do “sexy,” he interpreted it in the French vein: déshabillé, with sheer panels of fabric and visible undergarments. The unexpected clothes and the expansive pageantry of the show were like a long, cool glass of water after a frustrating wait.