Marc Jacobs: Hot & Heavy for Spring 2014 at New York Fashion Week

Marc Jacobs won't wait. Not even for a storm.

The designer, who closed out Fashion Week with a bang on Thursday night, is famous for having his shows start exactly on time—at the dot of 8 p.m.

This, of course, is stressful for show-goers who are used to strolling into their seats 20 minutes late—and the torrential downpour that hit the city just before the show didn't make it any easier.

Upon entering Jacobs' show space in the Lexington Avenue Armory, we were greeted by an eerie purple glow: the runway was covered in glittering purple sand, surrounded by what appeared to be Persian carpets. It was sweltering, and everyone fanned themselves with large white fans.

Strewn around the runway was massive debris of all kinds—pieces of discarded wood, strange, disembodied objects, windows, doors, even a school bus. It looked like wreckage on a beach. Where was Marc taking us this time around?

An editor next to me speculated that Jacobs had been inspired by the wreckage of Hurricane Sandy. After all, his apartment had been badly damaged in the storm.

Shockingly, the action began directly at 8—causing droves of people to dive for their seats before the lights went up.

Out came Marc's army, dozens of models in chopped blond wigs streaked with green. And, never mind the fact that this collection is for next spring: the show opened with several cropped, embroidered jackets in dark colors—all embellished with tassels, and shown with long, boyish shorts.

That gave way to an almost kimono-style coat over a dress rendered in a Hawaiian print, also with tassels. Long, column dresses in similar floral prints (accented with tassels and sequined bits) came next. Sequined dresses were shown with long, thigh-grazing sweaters in dark, wintry colors. For evening, there were stunning sequined column dresses, and a few standout dresses printed with embroidered flowers.

For the model-followers, there were also a few surprises: Cara Delevingne, the model-of-the-moment who had yet to show her face in New York this week, made a surprise appearance in the middle of the show. Ditto the singer Sky Ferreira, who attracted attention because she was at least a head shorter than all the other models.

But after the show, the crowd was still guessing: did the models represent the Lost Boys? Was there a shipwreck theme? One magazine thought it was reminiscent of Downton Abbey. Or, as The New York Times' Cathy Horyn put it on Twitter, perhaps it was "a comment on global warming? Tossed up fashion genres and seasons?"

Whatever the inspiration, these are clothes that—no matter the temperatures—will certainly be coveted next spring.