MARC JACOBS

Remember the bit in Mary Poppins where she extracts a seemingly never-ending amount of stuff from a single small portmanteau? Well, Marc Jacobs's show was a little like that, with a mind-warping array of references streaming on to the catwalk and refracted through a maze of mirrors.

First, there were those shiny straw boaters perched atop exploding hairdos and three-quarter-length coats over mock-hobble silk taffeta skirts, a silhouette that was a straight lift from the iconic costumes Tony Walton designed for Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. Then there were the tartan - or were they madras? - cummerbunds, Carmen Miranda lacquered bangles, necklaces and silk turbans, followed by a slither of draped Joan Crawford-inspired long evening dresses, with lots of obi-style belts thrown in for good measure. If the soundtrack - Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue - was a billet-doux to New York (the pavement outside the Armoury where Jacobs holds his shows affords one of the best views of the Chrysler Building in the city), the breadth of the show's eclecticism was atypical of most American designers, who favour a simplified (and sometimes simplistic) approach to fashion.

But Jacobs isn't your typical American designer - perhaps because he spends half his time in Paris. Yet while his mind is broad, his focus this time was disciplined: for all its apparent eccentricity, there was plenty to appeal to women looking for special pieces next spring, from the superlative metallic tweed Chanelesque jackets with their leather collars to the calf-length, butterfly-printed cheong-sam dresses that emphasised waists and shoulders, and a bunch of cute zebra print shoulder bags.

New York Fashion Week: Classic NYC designers triumph

Karan looked cute, Von Furstenberg, mainly fab and a duo from East London proved that they'd mastered American

BACKGROUND

• Victoria Beckham's debut fashion collection

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Multimedia

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Multimedia

• Pictures: Betsey Johnson and Matthew Williamson Spring 2009

And after last year's infamous two-hour delay, which sparked a major spat with the press, this show began 12 minutes after the appointed hour. Rift over.
Lisa Armstrong

PROENZA SCHOULER
Why on earth did Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, New York's designer darlings, compose an ode to the boiler suit? Especially when their fan base - comprised primarily of women who can afford upwards of £1,000 for a jacket, or half that amount for a skirt - would never dream of wearing anything even a touch ironic?

Shiny white silks and satins are notoriously tricky to pull off, even for women whose main preoccupation in life is figuring out how to maintain a year-round tan. The “sportif” workings seemed an odd, inconsistent line to pursue for a duo known mostly for a sophisticated approach to tailoring in a predominantly moody and luxurious colour palette. Instead, techno fabrics such as the perforated, cotton piqué shirts with zips in leather trims were central to the monochromatic theme. The unfinished pattern-cutters' hems on jackets also created an exaggerated shoulder frame.

Modern and refreshing? Actually, the models looked like hunchbacks. There were a few knockout pieces, such as the white dress with gathered pintucks at the waist and black, punched-out patent discs on the hem. As for those baggy-crotched, sequined jumpsuits that made up the finale? Zara's harem trousers would be easier to wear.
Carolyn Asome

JONATHAN SAUNDERS
Sometimes a radical approach pays off, sometimes it doesn't, but the journey is always interesting. So it proved in the second New York showing by Jonathan Saunders. The Scottish designer made his name with uncompromising abstract patterns, but like all print magicians, has worked hard to expand his scope.

This collection concentrated on form and colour: searing jolts of orange, daffodil yellow, lime with the odd eye-splitting rainbow medley. The radical part was what he did with the handkerchief skirt - a literal construction of silk handkerchiefs (or possibly scarves), which were suspended from waistbands over a lining. In the main these failed to convince as something that anyone other than an ice- skater might want to wear.

What worked were the fitted jackets, even if some strayed on to Planet Majorette. Stand-outs included a spotted silk fitted blazer with contrasting sleeves and a lavender silk kimono-style wrap jacket. Saunders styled them with clashing burnt orange or chartreuse skirts. In real life they'd look fabulous with some sharply cut black trousers. But will they sell Stateside? The cooler British climate means that a jacket will always be a sound investment. But during America's long summer months, dresses appear to be a designer's bread and butter.
Lisa Armstrong

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