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In a real ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ moment, Marc Jacobs presented its Fall 2023 collection in one swift motion that began and ended within three minutes. Not much was even captured by photographers on the scene, imparting a literal sense of ‘you had to be there’. Where show notes can usually fill in some gaps to those not on the ground, viewers were left with nothing but a ChatGPT-written take on Jacobs‘ work.
But despite the tight show—with just 29 looks—the vibes were high, and the tone was clear.
Evoking a grungier part of the ’80s than we typically see reflected in high fashion, it felt as though Jacobs may have been harkening back to a time he knew well. Having gotten started in fashion during the dawning of the digital era, the designer was an established part of the New York City glitterati. In fact, models in this show looked like the kind of people Jacobs would’ve run into in club bathrooms in his youth. Aside from their party-ready outfits, their cyberpunk frazzled wigs were a likeness to Pris, Daryl Hannah’s replicant character from Blade Runner—which seemed to clue us in on what Jacobs was getting at with this collection, given the film’s dystopian warnings of technological advancements run amuck.
As ChatGPT noted, the collection was a blend of “masculine tailoring and feminine elegance”, with ultra-mini draped dresses, corset bodices with bras peeking out, leather gloves, power shoulders and oversized suiting that screamed Working Girl—after dark. Though the ’80s observed a shift in perspective about technology, with many fearing its rapid changes to the world as we knew it, Jacobs’ take isn’t an alarmist one. Instead, clothing is fun and empowering. A highlight was the styling of black stockings that cut off at the calves over white ankle socks and pointed flats, it was the kind of undone edginess that bots could never generate.
Perhaps that was the purpose of the pace, too. Pointing out our insatiable need for bitsy content and endless scrolls that inspire impatience, short-lived wants and overconsumption. By embracing new tech, Jacobs almost mocks the wider commentary of it spelling the end of fashion. Sure, a robot wrote the show notes, but it was evident to anyone that read the clunky, soulless sentences that AI is not a stand-in for the human perspective. And though the show really did feel like a New York Minute, its format induced conversations and thought long after the models took their two closing laps.
Overall, the show was a clever commentary wrapped in compelling clothing. Whether that was the intention is still unclear to ChatGPT, but we think that might be the point.
