After over a decade with the fashion house, Marc Jacobs announced that yesterday’s show would be his last with Louis Vuitton. I knew Marc would leave this era in his career on a high. Anxious to see how, I hunted down footage of the show. In a note to his attendees, Marc dedicated his final show to “the showgirl in all of us”, based on the women that inspire him; Betty Catroux, Anna Wintour, Lady Gaga, Katie Grand, Judy Garland, Barbara Streisand, Sonia Rykiel, Sofia Coppola, Miuccia Prada among a few others. The note continues:
“Whether extrovert or esoteric, they are the figures that keep visual language vital. Their style, imagination, creativity, talent, vision and voice have changed our landscape… When I look around Paris… it’s the decoration and applied ornamentation that dazzles… it is about feeling. There may be no deeper sensation than this when it hits… I take pleasure from things for exactly what they are, revelling in the pure adornment of beauty for beauty’s sake. Connecting with something on a superficial level is as honest as connecting with it on an intellectual level.” – Marc
Tension built as everything on the set remained dark, save for a Louis Vuitton Paris clock that ticked backward, building anticipation and causing nervous knots in my stomach. The backward clock acted as a metaphorical time travel as many of the pieces were reminiscent of Marc’s previous collections. Models walked across the floor made of checkered blue sheep skin, around a regal fountain and into a wrought iron cage-like elevator. The elevator took them one floor up where they walked along a higher story veranda. Thereafter they descended down an escalator, and upon reaching the main set level again, they passed by an eerily-lit rotating carousel before retreating backstage. The darkness of the set and dramatic orchestral music evoked an accumulation of so many emotions. Engrossing myself into what I saw I felt pushed to the brink of tears. Great artistry always requires you to go home and think a bit longer about what you have just witnessed. Hours later and after thinking about it more – really thinking about it more – I remain spellbound by the pastiche of greatness that joined from all angles and culminated in this show.
Regal, punk, classy, rebellious, theatrical, feminine, powerful, elegant, grunge, nostalgic, timeless, dark, revolutionary. Just some of the many words that could be used to describe Marc’s final collection with Louis Vuitton.
Bravo Marc, and brava to “the showgirl in all of us”.
xx