Marc Jacobs' Candyland Collection Is Worth the Wait

Marc Jacobs used to have a notorious punctuality problem. In 2007 his show started a full two hours late. And that was the breaking point. After that show the Marc Jacobs show became the only show during New York Fashion Week to start precisely on time.

So last night was a throw back. Guests gathered promptly for the show, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side. They took their seats in the two rows of plexiglass chairs facing each other down the spare plexiglass covered runway. And then they waited. It was 6:30 p.m. Rumors that the collection hadn't even arrived at the venue began to circulate. Then it was 7 p.m. and still no sign of the show starting. Anxious editors scheduled to leave for London Fashion Week that evening began to make furious phone calls. Some left. Rihanna's Savage x Fenty lingerie show was starting soon in Dumbo.

A full hour and a half after the show was scheduled to start, the first model hit the runway. That's a helluva lot of time to rile up an easily riled up group of people and build anticipation. After making people wait that long, could NYC's most venerable showman really deliver?

But of course. Jacobs' collection drew on last season's '80s theme, making references to Yves Saint Laurent's suiting with strong shouldered jackets and high waisted pleat-front pants. But whereas last season was done in dark jewel tones, this spring collection exploded in chalky candy colors and ruffles and volume with giant rosettes punctuating it all. Even the models' hair had been bleached and then dyed cotton candy hues before being swept up in perfect '60s-style Barbie bouffant pony tails that boi-oi-oinged down the runway. (Redken Gobal Color Creative Director Josh Wood said it was "the biggest color project I've ever worked on.") Each look packed more volume than the next, leading to a finale of tightly ruffled mini-dresses that made models look like flowers, their legs the stems. The effect was a kind of wondrous Candyland but with a somber twinge. There's always something a bit moody and reflective within Jacobs' designs.