15 MINUTES WITH … MARC JACOBS
The artistic director on his designs for Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter ’13 and the woman he had in mind.
What was your inspiration for Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter ’13? Women who enjoy beautiful things but don’t need to show them off. Beauty is a gift they give themselves. There was a feeling of nonchalance, a loose sort of ennui; it was emotional, right down to the music that the piano was playing. We wanted to create the feeling of something glamorous, slightly decadent, and more erotic than last season, which was so geometric. The story behind the show? It was about the mystery of what is behind a closed door. There was a bit of exhibitionism, voyeurism, just like the world we live in, where people are on the Internet all the time because they want to know what other people are doing. Hotels give people anonymity, leaving something to your imagination. Mystery is so much more stimulating than fact. Tell us more about the looks. The clothes were elegant and comfortable because they were all based on nightwear – dressing gowns, nightgowns, slips, and pyjamas. I think that there was a feeling of being embraced by the clothes, which is very sensuous. Conservative looks were made more feminine through embroidery and sequins. What did you hope women would feel wearing your designs? These clothes sort of caress the body and you want to be wrapped in them. They make references to clothes that you wear in your most intimate moments. Tell us about the fabrics used. I wanted the sensuality of beautiful fabrics with very soft touches, very fluid and silky fabrics. We added graduated ostrich feathers and sequins to the menswear fabrics to make them more feminine. There was the feeling of the glamour of an evening gown but applied to a man’s jacket, which was worn as a robe over a nightgown. Everything looked like one thing, but was actually something else; some of the items that looked like lace were actually made up of little feathers. There was an incredible amount of work in all of the fabrics and garments on the part of our ateliers and the whole team at Louis Vuitton. Were men’s jackets featured in this show? Yes, they were designed by Jake and Dinos Chapman with Kim Jones in the last Louis Vuitton collection. But we took off the buttons and they were worn like robes de chambres, dressing gowns over slips and peignoirs. This made the clothes even more sensual and luxurious at the same time. Very feminine. Who was your muse for this collection? She is a woman of decadence, someone who appreciates luxury. Perhaps she prefers looking beautiful and staying in to going out and showing off. She is from many different eras: Gloria (played by Elizabeth Taylor) in Butterfield 8, Gloria Swanson, Juliette Greco. There is a little bit of Left Bank, a little bit of Hollywood, and a little bit of some friends of mine who appeared in the show. Such as Kate Moss? Kate is a dear friend, she has closed many Louis Vuitton shows and I always love having her in the show. She and I have spent many nights over many years in hotel rooms and have had lots of fun. We love the idea of using hotel doors ... There is a mystery about what goes on behind closed doors. I spend a lot of time in hotels and it’s intriguing to think about your life and what other people think about you, as well as other people’s lives and what people think of them in turn. The hotel corridor provides a really good backdrop for many different characters. Louis Vuitton is all about travel and we take you on a journey every season. This time it was a sensual journey along the corridor of an imaginary hotel. There was no sign of the Louis Vuitton Monogram at the show. Where was it? It was on the bags, trunks, and suitcases. Why is the design of a show so important? People relate to what they see. Sometimes they don’t understand it but have a connection with it. It might touch them in some way and make them search deeper inside themselves. For me, to strike that chord in someone or to do something that moves someone in that way is very rewarding. It’s what we hope to do with this and all of our shows.