Marc Jacobs
Collection. Items. Sounds like a fashion oxymoron. But no one in fashion is more adept at reconciling the oppositional than Marc Jacobs, whether opposition of perception ( good taste, bad taste) or fact (unified collection, single items).
That’s just what he’s doing at The Marc Jacobs. With its launch year now in the rearview mirror, the line remains an assortment of wardrobe items to mix and match at will, its components derived either from the designer’s past work or from the trove of vintage that inspires him. Pieces are as disparate as The Forties Dress and rugged fare produced in concert with first-time collaborator, Crockett, Tex.-based workwear firm
Stan Ray. Yet there’s no reason there can’t be a little structure imposed on the eclecticism. Here, Jacobs did that primarily via the palette, vibrant brights tempered into a gentler pastel range repeated through a series of photo-real prints, another of the lineups mini motifs. These include floral and cake motifs.
Yes, cakes. Guests arriving to the showroom came upon a huge, pretty confections display — clue! More than mere evil gastronomic temptation, it presaged a bakery motif that included photo prints of vintage cakes, some as single images on sweatshirts and some collaged into prints for dresses and pj’s. There were accessories, too, including a belt of festooned faux pearls and faux- er icing dollops. Conversely, Loden and peacoats swung more sturdy than sweet, while a shrunken jacket looked both, its childish proportions pilfered from a Forties boy’s dress coat.
The collection features the second installment of the men’s wear Jacobs quietly added for resort, including a redux of the collaboration with Stutterheim, The Raincoat now in a ciré version in women’s and men’s sizes.
As for new collaborations, in addition to Stan Ray, Jacobs recruited British artist Maisie Cousins for her whimsical “Rubbish” prints and Robert Crumb for takes on his “Devil Girl” imagery. Ditto Capezio for a pearl-trimmed leotard and tights, and Armor-Lux, the French company that makes those famous striped sailor sweaters, Jacobs’ version bedecked with glittering mismatched buttons. Dance, sail, sparkle. What’s not to love?—