SHOPPING

After the Marc Jacobs show, which closed Fashion Week Friday, I left wondering where this takes us, as he didn't hit on a lot of the trends we saw in New York. And, to be fair, we weren't exactly (anywhere near) the front row, so I wouldn't say we got a great look.

Two days later, after reading reviews and looking at photographs, I am still thinking about the collection: its volume, its greys, its somber attitude (is 'somber' a buzz word or what?), its wacky headgear created by uber-milliner Stephen Jones. (Jones creates the out-of-this-world hats for John Galliano). And the inspiration. (click here to read more about what did and did not inspire Marc.)

And, of course the all important accessories, which looked 18th century to me, like the shoes at right. (I grabbed my costume history book when I got home.)

Which got me thinking about the stage's backdrop: a smoke stack video playing behind scaffolding. Was he thinking industrial revolution meets the American Revolution?

When Sonic Youth walked out at the Armory Friday night, my mind went to 1991. The band had released it's first major label album, "Goo," the economy was hitting a recession, and grunge was entering pop culture's lexicon. And we were at war in the middle east and Bill Clinton was running for president. So what was the collection all about?

From the New York Times:

"We were creating glamour and beauty,” he said. “And calm.”

The correct answer, Mr. Jacobs said, was Paul Revere.

These 10-15 minutes of designers' (and, more often than not) coporations' vision evoke projection from front row and, in my case, 8th row critics. Marc Jacobs' shows are incredibly influential and are so important to New York that the Council of Fashion Designers of America publicly begged him to continue to show in New York. I left the show wanting to get a better look and I find it frustrating not to see this collection [or several others] up close until it hits stores.

With a cool-kid band, ripped-from-the-tabloid celebrities and the industry's top editors and models, one is easily intoxicated by the scene. These superfluous elements leave the point of the whole evening, well, beside the point. I'm new at covering the collections, having previously worked for designers and not reporting on them. With many shows I found the parade-like elements distracting. I think it's important to remember that, ultimately, these clothes have to stand on their own, in a store, ready to be purchased. This is, after all, a shopping blog.

Photo: AP