Marc Jacobs - Spring/Summer 2011

The 70s have been a source of inspiration for the last several seasons for many designers, but Marc Jacobs is the first to use it to create this kind of joyful overflow of colors, taking us back to the heyday of Ossie Clark and YSL. Alternating between paying homage to the big designers who brought their bohemian chic touch to the 70s, and to Scorsese's character, Iris in Taxi Driver, this summer collection, contrary to the recent neo-classic trends, is elegantly frivolous.

As in the last Marc Jacobs show, the models appeared directly onstage. The only difference was the weighty set used last February was replaced with an amber-colored block with multiple gold openings.

In other words, the principle may have not changed, but the message has: adieu recession, seriousness and nude makeup - Jacobs is going for a jet-set lightness with transparent chiffons, satin ensembles and a color palettes going from candy to electric.

The mood was set as of the first entrance -- the influences collided, and only the best of the 70s artists came out on top. From (fashion photographer) Guy Bourdin images to a couple of Yves Saint Laurent's iconic ensembles to references to Missoni knits and Bianca Jagger outfits, the entire collection was plunged into a sweet nostalgia.

This is without bringing up the more or less obvious references throughout the show to the heroine of Taxi Driver. With her wide brimmed hat and frizzy hair, each model evoked in her way the perverted innocence of the young Jodie Foster.

When asked why he composed a wardrobe so full of retro references, Jacobs says that he wanted to inject a little of the hedonism of the 70s into fashion, particularly after the neo-bourgeois wave that considerably subdued the fall collections.

He also reveals having wanted to prolong the glamorous, liberated energy of Naomi Campbell's birthday party (celebrated in Cannes last May) when all the guests showed up wearing these kind of clothes.

By emphasizing a femininity all in suggested sensuality, Jacobs drew a line through the Vuitton-esques low cuts that made us believe that the more curvaceous woman was making a comeback into the fashion system. This time, the silhouette is slender, dressed in satin ensembles, high-waisted pants and snug-fitting knits (even if there are some opulent peasant blouses that Yves Saint Laurent himself would not have denied).

In the end, Jacobs delivers a collection that is simultaneously girly and très woman, that will not necessarily been seen in the streets as is, but that has a strong chance of influencing the overall mood of the next season.

Click here to see the entire collection: http://www.style.com/S2011RTW-MJACOBS