At Marc Jacobs’s New York fashion week show, sculpted jackets with peplum waists recalled classic couture lines. snap: Kathy Willens/AP

“I wanted discipline, severity and fetish,” Marc Jacobs said backstage after his stunning show at New York style week. For all the women who have just splashed out thousands on his present, louche 1970s spring group, this is very bad news. But Jacobs, whose show is the most influential in New York, is known for his biannual about-turns.

It was clear the label was heading in a sundry direction from the show set. Tall, padded vinyl columns dominated the mirrored catwalk. Those skilled in catwalk semiotics might have guessed there was to be something fetishistic and fake about the collection.

Models in dresses crafted from rubber circles made to look like sequins storm down the bridge. Next came a rash of giant spots – over trousers, jacket and gear, along with sequin-sheath dresses, rubberised trousers, pronounced patch pockets, and lace dress worn with rubber-frilled jabots. Sculpted jackets with peplum waists recalled classic couture lines. The silhouette was stiff with hemlines falling below the knee. Miniature hats resembling giant chocolate chip cookies finished off the look.

This was a show that demonstrated Jacobs’s skill in handling contradiction. The synthetic-meets-couture collection was judged a huge success by the fashion industry and will appeal to the credit cards of Jacobs loyalists and those who can afford elegance with a touch of latex.

However, some other New York stylish might be less impressed. The 1970s has proved a trend once again in the city, with Lurex and brash colours abounding, so Jacobs’s change of heart may leave some labels behind.

Tags: Fashion, New York, Week

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