Marc at the Movies: On Thursday, fashion had a movie date with Marc Jacobs. To say he took over the historic Ziegfeld Theater on West 54th Street to stage his spring collection would be an understatement. In fact, he transformed it with such flair and imagination as to make the theater’s namesake jealous.
The show had all the trappings of a premiere: a red carpet, a live orchestra, ushers in Marc Jacobs uniforms selling popcorn and soda and cigarette girls passing out candy. There were divas in attendance (Bette Midler and Deborah Harry), starlets (Kate Mara, Imogen Poots and Mackenzie Davis) and even fellow filmmakers, perhaps taking notes from fashion’s auteur (Sofia Coppola, Lana Wachowski). And outside? Fans, scores and scores of them, patiently waiting behind the velvet rope in the summer heat, brandishing their phones, hoping to get a peek at one of the stars, if not an autograph.
“I love that it’s at the Ziegfeld. It’s very old New York and glamorous,” said Debi Mazar, who’s known Jacobs since he was at Perry Ellis and who used to do the make-up at his shows. “And I would expect nothing less.”
The original theater hosted the elaborate “Follies” revues of one Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. when it was at its old location, not too far from where it is now, and later would play host to the premieres of classics like “Cabaret” and Woody Allen’s “Manhattan.” Mazar seemed to recall “Goodfellas” opening there, but it was actually at the Museum of Modern Art.
As the last single-screen movie theater in Manhattan, it continues to be a favorite of cinephiles, like Coppola. “I love coming to see a movie here so I was excited that Marc was doing a show here,” she said.
Wachowski, the director of “The Matrix” trilogy with her brother Andy, has never premiered any of their films here. In fact, she was at her first fashion show.
“I’ve been invited lots of times but I never felt all the energy that made me want to jump into a big pond like this,” she said. “This is my virgin experience. Be gentle, Marc.”
Jacobs sent models to walk down the red carpet outside, to the delight of screeching fans, and broadcast the proceedings live inside the theater as the orchestra played a boisterous, syncopated score. Beth Ditto, the lead singer of the band The Gossip, walked the runway seemingly channeling Mae West. Kendall Jenner and Joan Smalls were two of the high-profile models in Jacobs’ cast, some in looks that recalled Lisa Eisner’s photography book “Rodeo Girl.”
At the end, the credits rolled – complete with an imitation of the famed MGM logo, but with one minor adjustment: Leo the Lion was replaced with Jacobs’ dog, Neville.