NEW YORK — Marc Jacobs is the guy who can change the direction of a fashion juggernaut with a single silhouette. If other designers are doing sleek and slim, he’ll do big and poufy. If everyone else is doing neutral colors, he’ll go bold.
There have been the grunge collections, the granny collections, harem pants, punk prom dresses and ultrachic skirt suits. If they seem out of step with trends seen elsewhere on runways during a particular season, the others come around in the weeks and months that follow, just when Jacobs is ready to move on again.
Yet, while he swaps out the details in rapid fire, there is almost unparalleled consistency, too: He likes surprises, takes risks, embraces showmanship, pairs patterns and textures, finds balance between artistry and commercialism, and sees the importance in a visual statement.
He keeps the jaded industry on its toes — sometimes with a little arrogance. But editors, stylists, retailers and celebrities seem to stay firmly supportive of Jacobs with constant toasts to his talent.
One of the biggest lovefests will come Monday at the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, a splashy ceremony at Lincoln Center to be hosted by Anderson Cooper with Lady Gaga receiving one of the prizes. Jacobs has been selected as the lifetime achievement winner, a title previously won by Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Yves Saint Laurent and Geoffrey Beene, for whom the award is now named.
Jacobs is nominated as the year’s best women’s designer again, this time facing Alexander Wang and the design duo Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler.
“It’s crazy,” says Jacobs. “I mean, I have a lot more to do. ‘Achievement’ sounds final. I’d like to call it ‘Lifetime of achievement — and for what’s left to achieve.’”
He adds, “I have no intention of slowing down. I don’t rest anyway.”
Jacobs doesn’t have the jet-setter image that some of his peers do. One thinks of Jacobs as the quirky downtown guy, even if he’s at the forefront of two megabrands — his namesake collection, plus Louis Vuitton and all the subsidiaries that go with it, including the contemporary-priced Marc by Marc Jacobs line, swimwear, sunglasses, shoes and handbags.
The most peaceful points of his day are mornings at the gym and evening walks with his two English bull terriers. Alas, while he splits his time between New York and Paris, the dogs live in France, so he doesn’t always get his down time with them.
“As soon as the New York shows are over, I’m on a plane after the Marc show. I take one day to recover, then I take in at Louis Vuitton things I’ve only seen by the Internet. I’m overwhelmed by all the stuff that progresses and there’s a constant series of fittings, corrections, additions,” he explained during a recent telephone interview. “The next show is always the most important thing.”
Jacobs’ Fashion Week shows are musts not only for those making the buying and editorial decisions from the front row, but they consistently are the most viewed and buzzed about online by shoppers and fans. The designer pays attention to what everyone is saying.
“I read what people say. It affects me greatly. That’s what is the biggest pressure: I feel like we’re competing with ourselves each time,” Jacobs says. “I always feel each season is the strongest show we’ve had, and I guess every time the new season begins, I go through all the stress and anxiety of what we are going to do next. It’s always time to start over.”
All the newness, however, isn’t completely free of baggage from the past, including diva moments, a party-hard attitude and stints in rehab.
Jacobs has the unusual ability to connect to the woman who is going to wear his clothes, says Bridget Foley, executive editor of Women’s Wear Daily.
What to do next is always on Jacobs’ mind.
“I’m not a linear thinker, nothing ever comes from one source,” he says.