Marc Magic: Risking the ridiculous

    Marc Jacobs. As soon as you hear the name you know you’re in the presence of greatness. Just like your guy would weep openly with Jeremy Clarkson over the Bugatti Veyron (I’m told this is the fastest and greatest of all the supercars). We delight at the delectable Marc and his Louis Vuitton collection for spring/summer 2011. Imagine a room full of block colours, tassels, beads (70’s disco fever mirror ball hanging from the ceiling) and Japanese fans. Throw in some wild animals, now set off a mini explosion (hypothetically people!) This is basically what Marc has done for this collection.

What you get is astounding, a complete success. The dramatic clashing of colour and detail that went onto each outfit was, to my unaccustomed eye, bewitching. The jumpsuit, a difficult trend to master without looking like a dumpy girl in a baby grow, in this show was repeatedly dazzling.

The loose fitting fabric and the tight low glittering hip band provided a unique silhouette, widening the market for this terrifying craze.

“Taste is so subjective…”

He is also the first in the high fashion world, away from Louis Vuitton in his own line, to have created a plus size range for women.

When I found out this ‘plus’ point it made me love him more and want to ignore his infamously known diva tendencies.

I didn’t know that!

·   Marc was fired from Perry Ellis in 1993, after he designed a ‘Grunge Collection’. Those poor people, do they not know that Marc is too amazing to be denied!

·   In 1987 he received the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) award for ‘Best New Fashion Talent’.

·   In June this year, he also won the CFDA award for ‘Women’s wear Designer of the Year’.

·   Those who’ve been recently spotted wear some of Marc’s gorgeous clothes are: Lady Gaga, Nicole Richie and Jessica Alba to name but a few.

I did feel, though, that the 47 year old designer did go a little too far at one point in the collection, par exemple; the glittery panda top, there is such a thing as too much glitter, my dear. Combine glitter, with animal print and its hard to not feel as if you’re wearing a Dorian Green creation from, ‘Birds of a Feather’.

Yet he instantly redeemed himself with the fringe dresses that swayed their way colourfully into my heart and (I wish) into my wardrobe. Marc is acclaimed by fellow designers as the ultimate in fashion for his time.

He stated before the show began that, ‘Taste is so subjective and I don’t believe there is such a thing as good taste and bad taste.’ Marc dares to be different to experiment to the extreme. As I watched the show again and again, I found that my past hatred for animal print was lessening with every viewing and that an inner goddess of glitter, glam and print was screaming to get out and play.■