Cindy Sherman's clown series was the starting point for Marc Jacobs' Resort collection. Proportions were either oversize or shrunken, polka dots clashed with plaids, and platform sandals were affixed with gumball-sized rhinestones. "Boldness, gaudiness, butterflies, and deli carnations" were the terms being tossed around in the backstage area. Not for team MJ is Resort a season for play-it-safe clothes.
If some of the pieces had the feel of costumes—the stiff A-line dresses with lace overlays come to mind—there were looks here that have serious retail potential. We're talking specifically about the silk crepe dresses that hewed to thirties-by-way-of-the-seventies lines. The most charming of the lot came in a mint green floral with three-quarter puffed sleeves, a keyhole neckline, and a scooped-out back, but there were several versions of them on the mini-runway and even more hanging on the racks.
Jacobs continues to experiment with the layering ideas he started working on for Fall both in New York and in Paris for Louis Vuitton. But whereas his February shows played on Edwardian-meets-Advanced Style silhouettes, the vibe of his sweatshirt over an A-line skirt over flared pants (all covered in florals, by the way) was more youthful, energetic. This three-for-one look just might be the one that takes the trend wide.
