Marc Jacobs Womenswear A/W12

The Marc Jacobs show was magical. It looked like Dr. Seuss had fused with Mad Hatter Cyberdog Ravers, beaming down from outer space to enchant and educate Upper East Side society women. All warped through the lens of a Dali-esque surrealism. Though that sounds like a potentially tense meeting of whimsical fantasy and technical experimentation, it came out fun and liberating in sheer unabashed eccentricity.

Jacobs continued his foray into futuristic textiles by playing with lurex, tinsel, metallic patent leather and hologram knits, a rainbow prism twinkling off each surface or texture. Everything sparkled, glittered or dazzled in one way or another, reminding any of us who have looked into a computer screen that the future is luminous, bright, technicolor, wild and unknown.

Some have said that what we call futuristic is a prescribed aesthetic from science fiction illustration of the 1920s and 30s. This suggests that what is futuristic is simultaneously retro. And whilst loop is potentially something of a ball and chain, it also is a gift to those rare creatives who can use it to elevate themselves. With this show Jacobs did.

Catwalk Images by Lahaina Alcantara