The Marc Jacobs show lasted three minutes

7.30 pm, everyone is seated, ready to take a closer look at the looks concocted by that rebellious genius Marc Jacobs for FW23. 7.33 pm. The show's over, the models have walked down the marble aisle of the New York Public Library almost running. The finale was sent down the catwalk, with no start. And the audience was ecstatic. The moral of this presentation, suggested above all by the juxtaposition of an academic setting with show notes composed by ChatGPT, and thus by a computer, seemed to be a direct critique of the industry and the voracity with which it swallows and spits out talent, creative directors, clothes and shops, without caring about the more poetic and romantic aspect of fashion. The title, chosen by the artificial intelligence and printed on ivory paper in a font as simple but incisive as Druk, was Marc Jacobs: A striking fusion of masculine tailoring and feminine elegance. A phrase that could very well describe all the latest ready-to-wear collections we have seen recently. 

The collection

Clothes, of course, also played a role in sharing Jacobs' message: sheer black tights uncovered the models' legs, while dresses, albeit mini, spread over their shoulders in 80s silhouettes. Ruffles and ruffles developed on the chests and hips of each, in metallic colors, white, black, and red; a reference, as was the wig worn by each of the faces in this show, to the premonitory costumes of Blade Runner (1982). Some online claim that the speed with which Marc Jacobs' SS24 collection was shown was a gesture of mockery at fast fashion, yet all the clues were in plain sight.

The previous shows by Marc Jacobs

It is certainly not the first time that a Jacobs collection has defied the conventions of time at his shows, even in a literal sense, since several times in the past his shows have found themselves starting very late, such as SS19, presented almost 90 minutes after the scheduled time, or SS07, more than an hour later, and again SS06, two hours late - and we all know what happens when two events overlap during fashion week - and it is clear that, in this case, it was an artistic choice which seems to have been a big success. Vanessa Friedman, the fashion editor of the New York Times, wrote on Twitter, «Left me with a giant grin.» Bravo, Marc. Despite your habitual, annoying delays, you still manage to entertain us.