From the outside, Marc Jacobs' Fall 2023 fashion show was held in a New York minute. Though it presumably took months of painstaking planning — it was held at the New York Public Library, for god's sake — the event occurred almost spontaneously, with barely any heads-up and a runway presentation that lasted not even three minutes.
That wasn't the only miracle Jacobs pulled off: his Fall 2023 show actually began precisely at 7:30 pm, which was exactly when it was scheduled to begin.
Whether you like Jacobs' new collection or not, you gotta admit that's worthy of making it into the record books.
For reference, it's quite normal for fashion shows to begin 30 or even 60 minutes after the planned time due to glitches in scheduling, set design, model arrivals, hair and makeup, or even VIP guests, who frequently drag their feet.
Especially in the case of an established designer like Jacobs, who has a large team to wrangle and all sorts of pre-show prep to tackle, to not only begin a show precisely on time but also speedrun its conclusion so quickly that guests were able to get home in time to catch Jeopardy! is truly something special.
All he had to do otherwise was deliver a good collection of clothes and he's home free! Simple enough.
Sidebar but do people still use the term "New York minute?" Just me? And why hasn't anyone coined an alternative for Fashion Week? Like, a "Paris hour" or something like that.
Anyways, Jacobs' feat alone was remarkable enough to make his Fall 2023 discussion-worthy. So, how were the clothes?
They were pretty good! Jacobs' concise Fall 2023 womenswear collection encompassed just under 30 looks — that's 10 models per minute, give or take — of menswear-inspired tailoring and glitzy stagewear that Jacobs termed "altered gowns" (night-out dresses nipped, tucked, and folded into blouses, tunics, and shorts), all paired with flats in place of Jacobs' signature hyper-heeled boots.
Debonair eveningwear was the order of the day, divawear of the highest order. We're talking Aretha, Rita, Cher, first names only.
Hair was frizzed to match the electrified atmosphere, maybe making the no-nonsense vibe more of an '80s thing: Chaka Khan, Debbie Harry, Madonna.
Strong collection but, yeah, if anyone's gonna remember Marc Jacobs Fall 2023 for anything, it's gonna be the lightning-quick runway. Not a diss, by the way, but hard-earned praise.
