Ah, but then to do the battle uptown to Lincoln Center for J. Mendel: IMG, producer of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, had sent out an email Thursday morning, noting that all shows would go on as scheduled (only one, Hernan Lander, would be delayed by an hour). Indeed, we arrived to find the tents not open yet, only because the NYFD was inspecting the venue to ensure the storm hadn’t done any structural damage. Safety confirmed, we were in for Gilles Mendel’s luxe 1 p.m. presentation, which regrettably was only about 75-percent full, likely due both to the storm and because people wanted to be sure they would make it on time for Calvin Klein, back downtown at Spring Studios, at 2 p.m. I chanced it and was glad to have done so to check out Mendel’s take for Fall: Like Diane von Furstenberg just a few days before, Mendel was inspired by the Ballets Russes this season, and it was in the evening gowns you most clearly saw the dance-centric reference. Confections of pleated chiffon in sapphire or peridot wrapped around the body and then floated away in layers (the color names, which also included emerald, turquoise and pearl elsewhere in the collection, were a nod to George Balanchine, who created the Jewels ballet in 1967 and was a ballet master for the Ballets Russes in the 1920s). A couple of gowns played up the jewels reference a step further, with tulle insets that sparkled with crystal embellishments. Mendel, of Franco-Russian descent, loved the romance implicit in such an inspiration, but he also wanted to push some technical boundaries, thus you saw the intricate seaming on a long-sleeve dress in red and black lurex striped jacquard, or an emerald dress that upon first glance appeared to be a heavy satin, but which actually was crafted of leather. Masterful, indeed.
By the time J. Mendel let out, the snow had turned to an icy rain, and we fought our way back downtown for Calvin Klein, making it mere seconds before the show started at exactly 2:21 p.m. Francisco Costa recently marked his first decade as creative director of the label’s women’s line, and you see him growing ever-more confident and self-assured about stretching his creative wings, pushing the boundaries of what Calvin Klein means today. Here was a profusion of chunky, oversized knits and deconstructed seaming and edges; it all felt very warm and enveloping, also because of its spicy palette of olive and saffron, mixed with ivory and black, or maybe it’s because we all were just snowed out by that point and seeking the ultimate in comfort clothes. But then, like a true breath of spring, there they were looking utterly chic and cool in the front row: Everyone’s current red-carpet darling, Lupita Nyong’o, in a pink long-sleeved minidress, and Naomi Watts in an icy blue sleeveless sheath. Both next to Anna, of course. With the Academy Awards set for Sunday, March 2, the biggest fashion question out there at the moment is: What will Lupita wear? Was her appearance at Calvin Klein a hint? Nyong’o’s choices (and work with her stylist, Micaela Erlanger) thus far have been flawless, so Calvin Klein or otherwise, fashion’s most-watched style star is sure to not disappoint.
And finally, 15 minutes from start to finish: That’s actually long for a Marc Jacobs show these days. Since he enacted his policy several seasons ago of starting precisely at 8 p.m., very often you could count on being back out the door no more than 11 minutes later. Likely the loooooong runway, which ran up and down multiple times inside the 69th Regiment Armory, was the key reason for the extra minutes. Jessica Lange recorded a haunting version of speaking, rather than singing, “Happy Days Are Here Again,” as the skies above in the armory were filled with clouds that looked like something Terry Gilliam might conjure for Monty Python. Much might be made in the coming days about the meaning—is this Jacobs’ statement of a newfound sense of freedom, now that the pressures of Louis Vuitton are no longer an issue? This was indeed a collection that seemed rooted in optimism, with an undeniable 70s, Halston-esque vibe, lean, long and languid, and all of it highly wearable. Wait, make that most of it: Toward the end of the show a few dresses and, because you just can’t call them anything else, pantsuits were festooned with organza ruffles that seemed unfortunately placed, or there were just too many of them, though it remains to be seen how those looks might translate from runway to retail (ditto for the sheer V-neck top Kendall Jenner wore with riding pants). Ultimately, the snowstorm once again raged outside–#thundersnow would quickly trend on Twitter minutes later—but inside the armory, Jacobs was counting on only sunny days ahead.
