The U.S. Vogue editor Anna Wintour gave Jacobs a standing ovation, which was followed by many others indicating that even without a formal announcement, they knew this was his last one.It was astounding.
“It’s been great.” These words were the only indication from Marc Jacobs that he has completed his time at leading retail store Louis Vuitton. Great - the exact term for the amazing show he put up at the Paris fashion week in which he has given the fashionable people some of the most different and dramatic experiences witnessed in recent times. The moment one walked in, one knew. This would certainly be Marc Jacobs’s final show.
And what were the signs? It wasn’t just the black that seemed to signal the end. The set was a amalgamation of the greatest hits from his past shows—the carousel from Spring 2012, the elevator from Fall 2011, the hotel rooms from Fall 2013, the Louis Vuitton train clock that ticked loudly before hitting 10am, the escalator from Spring 2013—except that this time, they were all in black, with fur and marble lining different parts of the floor.
Despite the sombre implications of the all-black clothes, it didn't feel like a sad affair. Jacobs dedicated the collection to the many women who've touched or influenced him during his time in Paris, including designer muses Coco Chanel, Rei Kawakubo, and Miuccia Prada. “For the showgirl in all of us”, he quoted. The feel of the collection was hinting towards the 90s punk: the gravity-defying head dresses, biker clothes and accessories, and lanky silhouettes. And oh, the black!
The collection was certainly inspired from menswear and then lavishly embellished with dazzling textures. Baseball jerseys, mommy jeans, football tops, tuxedos, motorcycle jackets, T-shirts and tank tops received Vuitton’s deluxe treatment, each ensemble elaborately ornamented with combinations of jet beads, crystals, fur, sequins, and glossy feathers. A not-so-insignificant emphasis on denim, both the faded blue worn underneath tulle tank dresses, and in crafty patchworks of checkered ( Spring Summer 2013 , anyone?) black paired with mannish blazers. That said, it was also slightly feminine, accentuating the female form whenever possible, like in the mesh dresses and the fall of the sheer net contouring the female body form in just the right ways.
Streetwise biker boots, tasseled shoulder bags, alligator finish totes and evening bags embellished with feathers, added a bit more of the street to the collection as a glamorized made-over product.
The audience stared in astonishment as Jacobs ditched his man skirt for a fitted black suit and what seemed like fluffy white loafers.
A radically different, yet appealing collection by Marc, as his last for Louis Vuitton. Is Marc having the last laugh? You be the judge..!