Louis V + Marc Jacobs: the master brings it all back home

old-new

outer-there

man-o-man

tickle ya fancy?

How long has it been since Marc Jacobs was notoriously fired from his designer role at Perry Ellis after a much maligned ‘Grunge’ collection? Ever since however, the spirit has remained, but today, after many years of rearticulation and distillation, Jacobs turned up and presented the many pretenders with what a thorough understanding of downtown urban looks like when combined with the money uptown of high fashion.

On cue, after a week (a month?) of grunge references that have produced so many column inches, Jacobs brought a true insiders knowledge of the grunge spirit incarnate, and yet polished enough to likely be appreciated by women the world over. 

Sexy, powerful, confident.

 It was a collection that could be only produced by a figure so closely connected to the rhythms of the street, but with the experience of the atelier. Jacob’s collaboration with Stephen Sprouse (R.I.P) a decade ago provides a lineage directly to the Warhol factory, and if this isn’t entirely consistent in the aesthetic of the clothes displayed,  it entirely embodies it’s spirit.

How do you tread a line between utter sophistication and total ‘cool’? Well, it has become Jacobs stock in trade. 

Undoubtedly the accumulations of a vast range of references, most particularly a comprehensive understanding of fashion history both contemporary and historical; there were echoes of Prada (heavy, belted, woollen coats over floaty dresses) to Galliano (underwear strictly as outerwear). All together, here was a collection of luxurious pieces, that when thrown together (Katie Grand, is that you?), provided an irresistible combination.

But Jacobs imagination is not bound by conventions; underwear not only consisted of the standard negligée, but also variants of the pyjama suit. True to the Grunge spirit of 1991, Jacobs delivered pieces that when put together questioned the margins of taste but always proved triumphant.

As always at Vuitton, it’s not just the ideas but the craftsmanship. Coats that transitioned through textile variations could be even more subtle and technical than those at Prada. Androgynous features, such as men’s overcoats, were aspirational, and when teamed with satin slip dresses, utterly desirable.  There was much that was decadent and sexy here; just-fell-out-of-bed-and-throwing-on-your-lover's-overcoat-to-answer-the-door coolness. but of course the door is to an apartment in a stylish French arrondissement.

Undoubtedly, one of the most successful collections of the week.

Again