Bluestockings

Demurely buttoned up yet slightly subversive...Marc Jacobs AW10

Mannish chic on the Marc Jacobs AW10 runway

A modern day Virginia Woolf could have been Marc Jacobs' inspiration...

Diane von Furstenberg said of her AW10 collection, ‘Metamorphosis’, “I always wanted to live a man’s life in a woman’s body”, and proceeded to send models down the runway in a juxtaposition of flouncy frills and mannish fabrics. Cord jackets with leather elbow patches were thrown over ruffled minidresses, while silk cardigans mixed with sharp tuxedo jackets. I thought my fashion career had conquered my academic past, but apparently not, because the first thing that came to mind when Diane uttered these words was Virginia Woolf’s Orlando, the transgender hero(ine) of her seminal novel. In fact, wasn’t Virginia actually rather chic herself? All those slouchy knits, painterly florals and long tweed skirts, delivered with a sliver of androgyny, were quite delicious, and very AW10, it would seem. Bloomsbury style seeped through the shows, with Marc Jacobs sending models out dressed in grey tweed, ankle socks and low-heeled pumps, along with a Prince of Wales three-piece check suit and fur trimmed jackets. It reminded me of the wardrobe of Kristin Scott Thomas’ ingenue daughter in Gosford Park. Even Preen seemed to be moving away from its signature high voltage, pumped-up sexiness, replacing figure-clinging mini dresses with long hemlines and sleeves, and a subdued palette of taupe and plum.