Marc Jacob's ideal bra-bra for Lady Gaga

Madonna made it to her front row seat, despite sporting immaculately coiffed hair that must have taken hours to do. Lady Gaga was not so fortunate, and had to watch the show from backstage. A pity, as some of the looks were right up her street.

Underwear as outerwear was the name of the day: very fitting for Jacobs's star guests. Madonna made the conical bra her own in 1993, a lineage that Lady Gaga has continued — although Gaga's bra tops tend to come with fireworks attached.

There were no fireworks at Marc Jacobs, at least, not of the pyrotechnic kind. But there were certainly explosions of the brilliance for which Jacobs is cherished by New Yorkers as their biggest creative force. Warming to the underwear theme, there were satin bras worn over shirts, as well as boned corsets layered over jackets. It was a beautiful, rich and densely textured show that struck an artful balance between the chaste and the louche.

A simple cotton shirt, buttoned up to the neck, looked clean and understated, as did a belted grey trenchcoat, a ribbed polo shirt and a pair of blue tapered trousers.

Accompanying these modest garments, however, was a raft of frills, sequins and saucy underwear, as though the models had raided the dressing up box of some Parisienne coquette. Fabrics were opulently expensive: harem pants came in a violet jacquard, while Nehru-collared jackets were in multi-coloured metallic silk. Save for the odd utilitarian, military-style jacket, most of the overgarments came with fluted frills running up their sleeves or cascading down their backs.

Some were worn with drop-waisted trousers, others with funny little seamed stockings that wrinkled at the ankle. Footwear was either flat or with a very low heel and Japanese in style, with a thonged toe and an ankle strap.

The Japanese theme was further outlined by the models' Kabuki-style make-up and hair scraped into a topknot. Was that a scrunchie we saw? If anyone can bring these ignominious Eighties hair accessories back in vogue, it is Jacobs.

Mindful of what really sells in a recession, the show was full of bags: capacious totes with long, sweeping fringes, as well as slouchy duffel bags worn insouciantly over the shoulder. These came in patchworks of metallic snakeskin or in muted colours such as cream and Wedgwood blue.

For those customers not blessed with the chutzpah to wear their bra over their shirt, it is the bags that will please. Although the rest of the show was pretty frilling, too.