Marc Jacobs Spring 2014: Gloom, Doom and Bermuda Shorts

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Count on Marc Jacobs to deliver something that, season after season, confounds, puzzles and occasionally upsets his audience. The type of fashion event that someone like Jimmy Kimmel would poke fun at. Tonight's Spring 2014 show, which kicked off to the Jaws theme song, was possibly one of the weirdest of the past three years. Victorian-esque high-neck lace blouses were paired with oversize, tasseled military jackets; knee-length Bermudas; and slip-on flats—all in an incredibly somber palette of black, brown, navy, jade and maroon. Reminder: This is what he sees you wearing next spring/summer. Ankle-length dresses, meanwhile, were matched with Teva-like sandals. Each bare-faced, wan-looking model wore a blunt-cut bobbed wig and power-walked around the set, which was a dramatic, apocalyptic mess.

Aside from the dour colors worn by the show's drone army, a few things stood out. This was model-of-the-moment Cara Delevingne's first walk at NYFW, meaning Jacobs landed an exclusive with her. Kind of a big deal. The designer has also embraced one of the ugliest colors in the nail polish portfolio for spring: dull brown! The Speakeasy blog reports that the color is named "Bark!" and that Marc stepped back towards nail art by tipping the square top of the nail with a slim line of black to which jagged black crystals were applied.

Jacobs' new tradition is starting his shows promptly, and tonight's opened at exactly 8:01pm. It stormed today in New York, and rain delayed some of the VIP guests, including Drew Barrymore and Sofia Coppola, who had to then stand through the lengthy presentation.

As if to cement the solemnity of the show, when Jacobs emerged at the end (dressed in a black shirt and pants, no kilt funny business this time), he didn't crack a smile—even when he slipped a bit on the dark, cigarette-strewn "sand" of the set. Spring is looking kind of gloomy and overcast now, isn't it?
· Marc Jacobs [Official Site]
· The Reality Behind NYFW's Most Breathtaking Photographs [Racked]
· The New J.Crew Showed Up for Spring 2014 [Racked]
· All New York Fashion Week Spring 2014 Coverage [Racked]