Step in line for Marc Jacob's S/S15 army of surplus shirts, epaulette jackets and voluminous skirts
For S/S15, Marc Jacobs put the house in fashion house, with his very own bright pink home erected on stage in New York for the final show of the NY season. And what a show to go out on — Jacobs pulled off another shock-to-please performance with an immersive experience in which each member of the audience was given a set of Beats by Dre headphones. Inspired by a 1976 short film by John Smith called The Girl Chewing Gum, widely acknowledged as one of the most Avant-Garde films of the 20th century, the audience listened to a peculiar reel of nonsensical orders including, “Now send the gap-toothed girl with three bags to walk around,” and “Walk over to the front door of the house.” And then at 6.05pm, as instructed, in walked the MJ army.
A soft, kitsch play on military regalia, girls were dressed in epaulette jackets, utility pockets and cargo dresses in army green, burgundy and navy blue. Gold regimental buttons and lapels were exaggerated, and short voluminous skirts in duchesse satin gradually replaced the surplus shirting as the show went on. Models marched through Jacob’s magenta suburbia in flat velvet sandals, with blunt, black wigs courtesy of seasoned hair stylist Guido. The strange narrative closed with a poignant line, leaving the audience to wonder whether Jacobs was speaking about fashion week, the industry or perhaps just his own Manhattan apartment: "There has been too much going on. Can we move the house to a place where nothing ever happens and things are slower? I'll be happy there."
Text by Mhairi Graham
