Chaos. That was the scene at the New York Armory at Lexington and 25th, where Marc Jacobs held both of his shows (one for his main collection and another for his Marc by Marc line). Spindly-heeled passengers spilled out of black cars gathered in a giant bottleneck. Flashbulbs were going off everywhere. Walking to the armory from the East Village, I rounded the corner and heard a man say in his thick New York accent, "Look over dere. It’s all the fashionistas, goin’ to see a show." How right he was.

The Marc by Marc line seemed to echo the main collection from the night before. I also saw some Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons influences: flat shoes and full-skirted silhouettes with little caps.

I heard a retailer point out today that Marc Jacobs is the only designer who gets the rich/poor divide for teenagers. She discussed another designer whose dresses were so short only teens could pull them off—yet the items were priced in the $400-500 range and sold at Barneys. She added that most teenagers either have a lot of money, (unlimited funds from their parents), or they have very little and shop at H&M. Marc by Marc, priced somewhere between H&M and Barneys, is the kind of line a teen theoretically could save up babysitting money for. And in this recession, it’s the kind of thing grown-ups can mix in to their wardrobe, too. The price is right.

Karlie Kloss opened the show (I mention her so much, she’s beginning to feel like the Chicago Fashion mascot). I saw her leaving the backstage area afterwards, where the photographers called her by name. That must be a trip for a 15-year-old.

Stacey and I then headed uptown to the Museum of Modern Art, where a big crowd turned out for a lavish Halston presenation. The room was made over in the spirit of Halston’s Paul Rudolph-designed apartment—lots of grey carpet and low, minimalist couches for the lounging models.

Halston, which is now owned by Harvey Weinstein and designed by a team, is seen by some critics as too derivative of the original styles of Halston—and lacking in modern direction. Thoughts?

At the presentation, Stacey and I chatted with Ikram, who has been sporting Obama gear this week. She said the girls at her store had made her dress, a patchwork compilation of different Barack T-shirts. I commented on her very excellent watch. "Harlem, baby," was her response. I guess I know where I’m shopping this weekend.

This morning I saw this girl in the tents at Bryant Park. She said she got her bag at Runway to Change, but it’s a cool idea for a political DIY project too.

I had to miss the Matthew Williamson show yesterday morning—I tagged along with Heiji Choy Black of Hejfina on an Alexander Wang buying appointment; I’ll discuss that soon—but luckily Jim Wetzel of Jake offered to fill us in with another guest comment. Thanks, Jim!

Yesterday’s show by Matthew Williamson was short and sweet—replete with heightened hemlines and candy-like color. Key elements included lots of electric pink and citron and oversized jeweled embellishment. Yet despite all this wattage, it all read super-wearable. We particularly loved the maxi-gowns with print and the embellished tees. Our standout look came near the end with a foil-like mini-dress that illuminated an already bright Bryant Park.

Check out the Williamson show at Style.com.

Photography: Elisabeth Fourmont