Marc's kabuki madness

Marc Jacobs's show is one of the most anticipated each season, and for good reason. While some designers prefer consistency and continuity, Jacobs radically reinvents his runway offerings each season. His show Monday night was an ultra-feminine kabuki theater spectacular, much softer and more mature than his last 1980s-inspired collection. There were ruffles lurking nearly everywhere -- from the suit jackets to the metallic dresses. Handkerchief dresses were dripping with pearls. Despite the eccentricities, the designer also showed clothes that most any woman could easily wear, including a metallic trench coat that somehow looked perfectly at home in Jacobs's fantasy Japanese cabaret.