On the Marc, by Cynthia Heimel, was originally published in the February 1989 issue ofVogue.
“I don’t know how to get downstairs!”
he whispers and then disappears.
Photo: Irving Penn
A girl sketching at a table watches him go with narrowed eyes.
“I really like his boots,” she pronounces.
“Square-toed motorcycle boots.
asks a boy intently drawing a masterpiece of Paisley.
“Marc Jacobs, his boots,” says the girl.
“Oh, I don’t know who he is yet,” says the boy.
He is only the new designer of Perry Ellis womenswear, that’s all.
He is only twenty-five, that’s all.
His first job was folding shirts for Charivari, moments later he was designing sweaters for them.
His is not a mainstream talent.
He is funny, offbeat, downtown.
His last collection (for Kashiyma) was a Miami-inspired celebration of kitsch and color.
I love taking something cheap and tacky and making it luxe, says Jacobs.
Marc once hand-painted thirty pairs of shoes the week before a show.
Right now, he’s in his office, talking about, go figure, menswear.
“Silver collar stays?”
Jacobs asks Elliot Lavigne, president of menswear.
I’ll give it to Bergdorf’s, and Barneys.
Ah, I’ll give it to Saks, they’re friends of mine.”
Every woman wants a plain white shirt.
Men’s shirts are much cheaper and better made.
I want to do a tuxedo shirt with leather buttons.''
“No problem,” says Lavigne.
And Marc is in heaven.
Jacobs calls to his secretary and asks her to stamp thank-you noteshis office is thick with flowers.
“I’ll give them to the mailroom,” his secretary says. '
‘We have a mailroom?"
“I wish we had some music.
Do I have a tape deck?”
“Yes,” says his secretary.
“Do I have a CD player?”
“No,” says his secretary.
“I wanted to see if you’re all right,” he says softly.
A woman pops a video of Jacobs into the VCR.
Mark Waldrop and Sarah Lord come in with cases of fabric samples.
“I want to do everything in cashmere,” he says.
“What about these?”
“Too Chanel-ly,” says Jacobs.
“Too Alexander Julian-ish.”
“I got damask, you were muttering about damask,” says Lord.
“I love this,” says Jacobs.
“Some of the classics are the sickest, most twisted things around.”
“Tasmanian shirting,” says Lord, “you could make a beautiful.
“Yeah, a shirt for $750.”
“You’re not supposed to worry about that.”
“Poor boy seems very right.
.God, we’ve got to do this so fast, the show is on April tenth.
We want to ensure the models smile.
And we want stylish, the ultimate customer is stylish, not fashionable.
To be fashionable all you need is money.”
Never let them.”
