There’s been a lot of gushing and/or foaming about Kendall Jenner modeling in the Marc Jacobs show — baring her nipples! Edgy. Or rather, it would be if it weren’t for the fact that runway nudity is possibly the oldest device in the book. Kendall told the beauty blog Into the Gloss that this was how she wanted to kickstart her career. Great, so we can look forward to more unscrupulous media manipulation by the Jenner/Kardashian clan. She calls it career-building; we call it self-exploitative. At least it’s better than a sex tape. Or is it?

Try to strike that unfortunate bit of tone-deafness from your mind as you imagine the quiet beauty of the collection itself, inspired in part by the strength of great women of the screen, said Jacobs, like Jessica Lange and Meryl Streep. (Yeah, that juxtaposition happened.) Under hundreds of sculptural puffy clouds that spanned the room, tunics and slightly flared pants were first to emerge, in ’70s-era colors ranging from earth brown and taupe to steel blue and ecru. These gave way to a series of phenomenal bomber jackets festooned with zippers and fur patches, followed by several stunning light-as-air sequin mini-dresses. Then came more bombers, extra thick in their minkness, in soft shades of lilac and cream, including a jacket that was both colors in one, by way of ombré. Sensational.

The all-over sequin dresses in the last segment struck a melancholy note, if it’s possible for sequins to do that. After that were dresses and separates that were altogether poetic in the way their organza ruffles fluttered and rippled as the models strode, suggesting an airiness, a new tranquility. Conceived in the frenzied months after Jacobs’ exit from Louis Vuitton, these may have been an attempt at calmness — at least until IPO planning picks up.