Jacobs keeps guests waiting, then delivers on the glamour

NEW YORK — In recent years, Marc Jacobs has become known for starting his runway show — which traditionally closes out Fashion Week — with military precision at 6 p.m., no matter who's running late. It was a shock, then, when Jacobs kept his guests waiting for 90 long minutes on Wednesday, tapping their feet and staring at their phones.

What was the reason for the unusual delay? Jacobs' staff said the issue was an errant clothing delivery, no doubt caught in rush-hour traffic, exacerbated by the rain. Some fans of Rihanna, though, had their own conspiracy theory: Maybe, some speculated on Twitter, he was getting back at the pop singer, who had scheduled a 7:30 show in Brooklyn, thereby usurping his finale.

Whatever the reason, those who stayed put at Jacobs' show in the spare, cavernous Park Avenue Armory seemed delighted they'd done so. They were treated to a happy injection of old-style glamour and charming excess, expressed in eye-catching pastels, '60s-style bouffant hairstyles, and ruffles, ruffles and more ruffles.

After all that waiting, there was audible relief as the lights finally came down and the first model emerged, to a pulsing Philip Glass-like soundtrack, in a yellow-green slip dress and sparkling tights. The next look dramatically upped the brightness quotient: a huge, neon-yellow leather coat, with matching Jackie Kennedy-style kerchief over poufy hair.

Other models emerged with stylish veils covering their faces, tied in a bow at the top of their heads, or with little fascinator hats and attached veils (headgear was by master milliner Stephen Jones).

And then there were the aforementioned ruffles, of all sorts, but always big: on a blue plaid dress with giant puffed sleeves, on a one-shouldered polka-dot top, on a brown satin cape lined in light blue, and on giant collars everywhere.

Shades of pink were big, as in a Chanel-style pink tweed jacket paired with pink leather trousers, or a filmy pink-and-orange gown with ruffles from the hip down to the floor, or a fanciful feathered concoction in the identical two shades.

As for the ruffles, they seemed to grow as the show went along; many garments — tops, dresses — weren't ruffled so much as they were simply one enormous ruffle, covering the body.

The candy-colored scheme extended beyond clothes to hair: A slew of models had their hair bleached and dyed to match their outfits. An oversized peach-hued coat looked great with the model's hair in the very same peach.

Among those watching: Vogue editor Anna Wintour, filmmaker Sofia Coppola, and rapper Nicki Minaj, who's been front and center all week and who was decidedly wearing the right thing: A bright red gown with, you guessed it — enormous ruffles for sleeves.