His genius might be in design, or the fashion business, or with the media, or relationships, or Branding; I'm not sure , maybe all of these-
but for better or worse he keeps reinventing himself; isn't that what artists do.
and the hundreds of millions of dollars that are earned or lost by the companies he is associated with; well thats just fashion -
turn to the left -
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My main thought was for Jacob’s two siblings who went into foster care while he lived in the lap of luxury with “rules and decorum.” They got a raw deal.
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But that was the parents and adults fault, not his.
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I guess this is supposed to make me feel for Marc Jacobs, but plenty of people have triumphed over circumstances as difficult or more difficult than he has. And most of them don't have his money.
I *will* always think of him, though, as being one of the people who helped ruin Bleecker Street in the West Village: where long-time shopkeepers were thrown out so that Marc Jacobs and other trendy designers could have their oh-so-precious boutiques. Diversity was replaced by a haughty level of exclusivity, and the neighborhood feel of that area was permanently wrecked in the service of designers' massive egos.
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This article is as beautifully composed as it is skillfully written. Kudos. I felt like I had met Jacobs firsthand myself.
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I don't care about his clothes, but I find Mark Jacob a fascinating person.
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Really great article. Fantastic writing and a cool profile on a contemporary American fashion icon. It was nice to hear more detail about his upbringing and how that influenced his design.
Where designers pulls creativity from in this inherently ambiguous and fleeting craft is always fascinating to me.
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It is sad that his siblings were sent to foster care rather than being allowed to live with their grandmother.
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They may have had different fathers and hence grandparents.
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Shouldn’t the New York Times be above covering the fashion industry?
Instead of writing a profile on someone as inconsequential as Marc Jacobs how about someone who actually matters to the world like Bill McKibbon or Greta Thuneberg?
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@John I'm not sure whether you're addressing the fashion industry as a whole or the runway-specific fashion focused on in this article. The former significantly impacts society, the economy, and the environment; the later significantly impacts the former. Neither are inconsequential in my mind, although I agree that both can seem shallow at times.
Regardless, I think profiles-- much like obituaries-- should be on the notable, not just those we wish were notable. Marc Jacobs has definitely made his mark on culture, no matter how frivolous you think that mark is.
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Marc Jacob's is phenomenally talented. A correction is required. Karl Lagerfeld, ran his eponymous brand and designed for Chanel and Fendi, long before the emergence of Jacob's dual activities. Perhaps the author would have omitted this "pioneering" error, if they had stepped back from the overly fawning and preening style they selected for this article.
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You have his photograph on a table - I thought he was dead.
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rye is not upstate - syracuse is.
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@linh What do we call places in the middle of New York then? Mid-state? Honest question, my aunt lives in Poughkeepsie which I have referred to as upstate to much local chagrin. Another term, not involving state as a suffix?
@Garrett Rye is a suburb of NYC. Not upstate or mid-state. A suburb.
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The world doesn't need "fashion", or "fashion designers". Nor should the NYT be wasting space on them.
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@Jonathan Katz An honest question: do you think likewise about other forms or art, or do you simply not consider "fashion" a form of art?
Regardless of its artistic importance, the fashion industry impacts society, the economy, and the environment too much not to be covered. In today's increasingly digital and appearance-focused culture in particular, fashion's influence is only increasing.
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@JonathanKatz - NYC is home to the fashion industry in the US, employing many thousands of people. it would be like asking the LA Times why the cover something so inconsequential as the film industry.
The NYT is a national paper - but don't forget it's a local paper also.
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We do need beauty, fashion, art and creativity. Sometimes a good outfit is the only thing that makes you want to get out of bed. Btw: I miss the MBMJ line, bought a bunch of the leather accessories once I discovered it was dismantled.
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I personally blame Marc Jacobs for the destruction of Bleecker St.
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Marc reminds me of so much that was wonderful and fabulous growing up with my friends and being in our twenties in San Francisco in the disco era. For me, your fashion is all about form and color and how they interact. I love the -I refuse to stop living- attitude so present in your fashion. Your clothing is youth personified. (Don't tell anybody but I'm in my 60s and honey, I still wear you!)
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Glad the skinny pant thing is no longer a thing.
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@Trish
I’ve waited almost twenty years for that.
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Fashion is definitely recycled!
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What does "Dahlia and Blades gown" mean in the caption?
In an era of Trump and Climate Change and Mass Shootings the New York Times shouldn’t devote a single word to fashion
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@John
There should be no professional sports either. Or comedies.
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@nickdastardly: I agree there should be no professional sports coverage - that's ANOTHER waste of space!
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