Marc Jacobs, who arrived fashionably late to his own spring/summer 2008 runway show, was the first to emerge from backstage, a premeditated surrealist gesture which ultimately set the tone for an atypical collection of fantastical amusement.
Production designer and art director Stefan Beckman, a long time collaborator of the house, devised a dreamlike set scattered with oversized monochromatic picture frames and a suspended screen featuring a film of each model in their underwear – the same briefs and bralettes that brazenly peeked out of nearly every look.
Stripped of frivolous undertones and devoid of fashion world formalities, the collection was, instead, a quirky commentary on the parallels existing between art and fashion. As the show commenced with sheer, shimmering eveningwear and deconstructed gowns – garments typically reserved for a collection’s finale looks – models’ extreme bed-head bouffants were accessorized by unexpected objects and eccentric headpieces straight out of a 20th century Rothschild Surrealist Ball. Patel daywear and relaxed tweed skirt suits were complimented by delicate pins, exaggerated gloves and heavy pearl necklaces, begging comparison to glamorous yet somewhat deranged Hollywood stars of the 1960s – cue in Valley of the Dolls. Jacobs’ stylized creative notions centered on elements of visual deceptiveness and optical trickery, seen in the collection’s collaged handbags, upside-down heels and seemingly smaller-than-normal footwear, all of which successfully teased the eye and required further examination to fully comprehend.
All things considered, Marc Jacobs’ spring/summer 2008 collection ventured into the realm of performance art; an avant-garde offering of theatrical looks that succeeded in challenging the 21st century fashion world zeitgeist.
References
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Salvador Dalí
Hats
Elsa Schiaparelli
Hat, 1937-1938
Rudi Gernreich
Trompe l'oeil Bodysuit
Man Ray
Choreographer and dancer Helen Tamiris, 1929
Elsa Schiaparelli
Bra, 1940
Salvador Dalí
The Mae West's Lips Sofa, 1936
Francois-Xavier Lalanne & Claude Lalanne
Cocodoll Bed, 1964
Rene Magritte
The Son of Man, 1964
Andy Warhol
Truman Capote Gold Shoe, 1957
Andy Warhol
25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy, 1956
Andy Warhol
25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy, 1956
Geoffrey Beene
Dress, Fall/ Winter 1967–68
Émile Aillaud
Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, 1954
Peter Fischli & David Weiss
The Three Sisters, 1984
François-Xavier Lalanne
“Sauterelle” Bar, 1970
Gafas
Vintage Eyewear
Miu Miu
Guinevere van Seenus, Spring/ Summer 1996
Irving Penn
Single Oriental Poppy, 1968
Isabella Blow
Lobster Hat
John Wesley
Getting off the subway at St. Tropez, 1992
Kazumasa Yamashita
Face House (Maison Visage), Kyoto, 1974
Luis Barragán
Galvez House, Mexico City
Gaetano Pesce
Polyurethane Houses in Puglia, Italy
Thierry Mugler
Spring/ Summer 1999
References
Salvador Dalí
Hats
1 of 24
Elsa Schiaparelli
Hat, 1937-1938
2 of 24
Rudi Gernreich
Trompe l'oeil Bodysuit
3 of 24
Man Ray
Choreographer and dancer Helen Tamiris, 1929
4 of 24
Elsa Schiaparelli
Bra, 1940
5 of 24
Salvador Dalí
The Mae West's Lips Sofa, 1936
6 of 24
Francois-Xavier Lalanne & Claude Lalanne
Cocodoll Bed, 1964
7 of 24
Rene Magritte
The Son of Man, 1964
8 of 24
Andy Warhol
Truman Capote Gold Shoe, 1957
9 of 24
Andy Warhol
25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy, 1956
10 of 24
Andy Warhol
25 Cats Name[d] Sam and One Blue Pussy, 1956
11 of 24
Geoffrey Beene
Dress, Fall/ Winter 1967–68
12 of 24
Émile Aillaud
Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, 1954
13 of 24
Peter Fischli & David Weiss
The Three Sisters, 1984
14 of 24
François-Xavier Lalanne
“Sauterelle” Bar, 1970
15 of 24
Gafas
Vintage Eyewear
16 of 24
Miu Miu
Guinevere van Seenus, Spring/ Summer 1996
17 of 24
Irving Penn
Single Oriental Poppy, 1968
18 of 24
Isabella Blow
Lobster Hat
19 of 24
John Wesley
Getting off the subway at St. Tropez, 1992
20 of 24
Kazumasa Yamashita
Face House (Maison Visage), Kyoto, 1974
21 of 24
Luis Barragán
Galvez House, Mexico City
22 of 24
Gaetano Pesce
Polyurethane Houses in Puglia, Italy
23 of 24
