Fashionistas on the isle of Manhattan barely had time to recover from their fashion hangovers courtesy of Marc Jacobs’ Spring 2009 presentation at the New York State Armory before returning to the posh Gramercy Park neighborhood for the Marc by Marc Jacobs runway show the following afternoon. The blended womenswear and menswear collection had the “Marcette” guys and girls hanging from the rafters as the designer delivered 64 cool-kid-utilitarian looks from his second collection. The show opened and closed with GoldieLocks’ “Neek Chic” with Santogold’s auditory addictive “Shove it” added for good measure.

Brooklyn we go hard
We on the look for the advantage, we work hard
And if we seem to rough it up a bit
We broke but we rich at heart
Pull ourselves up now we won't choke
It's our time, put the lights on us

War tactics they make me sick
reel your heart in run away with it
Smile in your face, undermine your back
got guns for the strength they lack
So if you know another way
you can't look the other way
if you know another way,
tell them so right to their face

We think you're a joke
Shove your hope where it don't shine

According to his biography, Marc Jacobs was born in New York City on April 9, 1963. After graduating from the High School of Art and Design in 1981 he entered Parson’s School of Design. As a design student at Parson’s, Mr. Jacobs was the recipient of some of the schools highest honors including Design Student of the Year. In 1986 Marc Jacobs launched his eponymous label. The following year, Mr. Jacobs received the distinct honor of being the youngest designer ever to be awarded the fashion industry’s highest tribute: The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent.

In 1989 Jacobs and business partner Robert Duffy joined Perry Ellis as Vice-President of Women’s Design and President respectively. In 1992, the CFDA once again bestowed Marc Jacobs with a distinct honor: the Women’s Designer of the Year Award for his fabled Grunge Collection. In the fall of 1993, Jacobs Duffy Designs Inc. launched their own licensing and design company: Marc Jacobs International Company, L.P.

According the company website, Marc Jacobs introduced his secondary line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, with a spring 2001 runway show. He has gone on to win seven CFDA awards including Womenswear Designer of the Year, Accessories Designer of the Year and Menswear Designer of the year. The first multi-brand store in the U.S. opened in August 2004 on Boston’s Newbury Street. May 2005 brought the opening of three new stores in Los Angeles. Marc-Mania has not been limited to the continental United States. The company opened their first free-standing European store in Paris at The Palais Royale in January, 2006 and followed with a London location in February, 2007. In the Spring of 2007 a full line of children’s wear, aptly named Little Marc Jacobs was launched. The company has expanded to more than 60 stores worldwide and currently produces six fragrances, 2 eyewear collections, a line of watches, and a table top collection with partner Waterford Wedgewood that launched in December 2006.

Multiple freestanding stores and shop–in-shops continue to open domestically and across the Far East. Currently Marc Jacobs Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs stores can be found in four locations in Hong Kong, four locations in Taiwan, twenty-five locations in Japan (including flagships in Osaka and Aoyama) and five locations in Korea. 2007 marked the opening of a Men’s and Women’s Collection store on London’s Mount Street as well as a multi-brand store in historic Savannah, Georgia, a seasonal store in Provincetown, as well as multi-brand stores in Tokyo and Moscow. Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy are committed to giving back to the communities where they have stores and have been involved with over 60 charities. Their continual support of these charitable projects continues to be a top priority.

Even on the gloomiest of days in Gotham, Marc Jacobs had onlookers cheering from the stadium-style bleacher seating. The color palette was somewhat subdued with shades of cream, mushroom, ink, navy, and gravel with sparks of lilac, red, purple, and pink. The silhouette was quite forgiving, featuring everything from paper bag waists, playsuits, trapeze and babydoll dresses. The collection’s utilitarian sensibility was translated with an assortment of twills, cottons, poplins, canvas, and leather. His design details further underscored the downtown separates in a floral patchwork, Gatsby stripe, seismograph print, ticking stripe, and paisley. Accessories here also made a big impact with flat booties, cummerbunds, layered nutty knot necklaces, layered belts, pillbox hats, and double headbands.

My favorite looks from the Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 Collection included: the parchment rumpled twill trench with a lilac primrose garden dress and cement flat bootie; a sand Gatsby stripe vest with a grey primrose embroidery top, faded indigo striped denim trouser, and navy flat open-toe sandal; the cream cardigan with a white primrose jersey dress, nutty knot necklace, floral print gem bracelet and red flat bootie; a purple link print top with red jacquard skirt, ink pocket belt, periwinkle hugo bag, and navy canvas sneaker; the white dot jumpsuit with fuchsia scarf (styled a s a sash) nutty knot necklace, and black and white oxford; a crinkled taffeta trench with a navy dot blouse, lilac locket pocket print tee, tan canvas belt, and nude high bootie sandal; the white chiffon shirt with the purple dot romper, nutty knot necklace, stripey sport hatty bag, and cement canvas sneaker; a watermelon rumpled twill dress with the salmon and pink cotton scarf, nutty knot necklace, and navy flats; and the mushroom poplin trench with red organza dress nutty knot necklace, and green flat bootie. Marc Jacobs’ unique brand of trendsetting utilitarian chic will certainly of all the cool kids piling on their belts, necklaces, two or three at a time come next spring. With all those layered and pocket belts, only a style innovator like MJ could make a fanny pack look fashionable!

For additional information, please visit http://www.marcjacobs.com/

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