By Tamara Abraham
Last updated at 1:45 PM on 15th September 2009
It's a quirky young label adored by twenty-something fashionistas - so it is little surprise that Madonna made an effort for the Marc Jacobs catwalk show at New York Fashion Week yesterday.
But despite her gym-honed body, and trend-setting reputation, the queen of pop was mutton dressed as lamb in a gothic-style lace skirt teamed with leather jacket and thigh-high boots.
It appeared to be yet another valiant attempt to fit in with the youngsters following the risqu ensemble she attempted at the MTV Video Music Awards.
Mutton dressed as lamb: Madonna's short lace skirt and thigh-high boots failed to impress at the Marc Jacobs show in New York last night - but fresh-looking make-up and flawless hair made up for the fashion faux pas
Only the previous evening the 51-year-old stepped out in a skintight body with the same thigh-high boots. Worn beneath a tailored black coat, its transparent back section did little to preserve her modesty.
Her arm candy, 22-year-old model Jesus Luz, fitted the bill at least - and even if her outfit failed to win style points, her flawless skin and polished blonde locks gave her fellow front row stars a serious run for their money.
Risqu: Madonna wore an equally revealing outfit the previous evening to the MTV Music Video Awards
In fact Madonna looked like a fresh-faced ingenue next to Lady GaGa, who also attended, wearing far more make-up, as well as an eye mask, hat and pink-tinted hair tumbling over her face.
With such a star-studded front row, any other designer would have worried whether any notice would be taken of the clothes on the catwalk.
Not so Jacobs, who appeared to have created a collection in tribute to his A-list guests.
Star-studded audience: Marc Jacobs poses with guests of honour Lady GaGa and Madonna
Celebrity fan: Lady GaGa dressed to impress for the Marc Jacobs show
Channelling Lady Gaga's underwear-as-outerwear look, models strutted down the catwalk in Madonna-style conical bras in glossy brown leather and pale blue silk.
High-waist French knickers also featured, and even hoisery turned fashion statement with nude-coloured legging waistbands pulled up high so that they were visible beneath louche, low-slung trousers and skirts.
Teamed with long skirt lengths and neat buttoned blouses, the effect was an unlikely contrast between the chaste and the sexy -and if anything plays on that balance it is the geisha, which featured in the models' hair, make-up and even shoes.
With white-painted faces set off by deep red lips, and austere hair worn he tight coils on the head, an unmistakeable Japanese theme ran through the show.
Where lingerie did not feature as overgarments, its close relation, the ruffle, did - and Jacobs was unstinting in his use of them. Frills appeared on crop tops and dresses in a watercolour palette of deep blues, lavender and nude.
Printed scarves in faded microprints and woven bags lent an overall vintage feel, while what appeared to be a scrunchie in one model's hair added a distinctly Nineties vibe.
Bras and knickers aside, the collection featured some wearable pieces. Figure-hugging pencil skirts with belted corseted waists were ladylike with their silk panelling, while loose harem pants and long skirts are set to be sellout holiday-wear come next summer.
Already a fashion industry darling, the show was another hit for the U.S. designer. Cathy Horan of the New York Times called the show a 'free-spirited attack of fashion, a wide comfort zone with different textures and assumptions about what is pretty and feminine,' while Evening Standard fashion editor Laura Craik hailed it as a 'beautiful, rich and densely textured show that struck an artful balance between the chaste and the louche.'
Tribute: Marc Jacobs channelled Lady Gaga's underwear-as-outerwear look with Madonna-style conical bras in glossy brown leather and pale silks
Balanced: Long skirts and high-neck blouses were a contrast for the sexy, silky lingerie and statement ruffles