Marc Jacobs’s last walk down the runway?

Marc Jacobs Leaving Louis Vuitton Soon

Trouble in the house of Louis Vuitton? It seems it may be so. Like a hot,sensual relationship where everything seems right at first & where lust can be found in every look, the marriage between Arnault’s empire and his sky-rocketing designer may be coming to a dénouement. Heresy you say? Well, let’s take a quick stroll through some facts, shall we, before one ties me to a stake and roasts me more than Whitney Houston in a candid interview.

First of all, there are some very, undeniable facts:

1. Marc Jacobs is a genius that has brought wealth and notoriety for over 10+ years to a then-burgeoning Louis Vuitton. His Bleeker Street to rue St. Faubourg-Honoré touch launched a once-limited, staunchy malleterie business into the eyes of fashion critics as a high-end Prêt-à-Porter power-fashion-house which has never looked back since.
2. From handbags, to clothing, to marroquineries (leather-goods for my not-so-French-savvy readers), Louis Vuitton has cornered every piece of the market, leaving nearly no Feng-shui-ed stone unturned.
3. Collaborations, collaborations, collaborations. Marc Jacobs + Louis Vuitton + Artist X = success. As if his own creative genius were not enough to compliment the fashion houses’ exceptionally long tradition in fine luxury goods, MJ has sought from time to time the artiste from without. The result has always equated into instant success and the near symphonic ringing of cash registers across all of LV’s many global-reaching boutiques. From Stephen Sprouse, to Takashi Murakami, to Richard Prince, Marc Jacobs has chosen his partners in crime and has walked away with the bank vault.

So after all the exhuberance from such wonderful success, why in God’s green earth would one ever conceive the title of this article? Well, as any fashion-snob in the industry will tell you, one leaves the cocktail party on a high note. And the height of fashion for Louis Vuitton is upon us.

But of course, that statement alone is not enough to say that this is the end for MJ. No, on the contrary, there’s much more that points to the final chapter of the Louis Vuitton-Marc Jacobs success story.

1. Even Marc Jacobs knows deep inside of himself that his own creative talents are being stifled by the constant requirements to meet deadlines that Bernard Arnault and the other folks above him expect him to accomplish. This just isn’t the best environment for creative liberty, rather, it’s a good place to at least refine one’s artistic talent.
2. MJ is old and tired for Vuitton’s contstantly growing image. This past year’s F/W 2008 Collection looked much like something a Parson’s School freshman fashion designer could’ve put together. (Now that I think about it, MJ could fill in a spot in Lifetime’s upcoming “Project Runway: Season 6 Celebrity Designer Edition”)
3. Marc Jacobs is starting a new life with a new man. After all the dramaz from his fat-years, to losing all that weight, and then falling prey to the go-go boy which we will no longer name except to say his name kinda sounds like “Jay” and last name sounds like “Stun”, MJ needs a break to make a life with his new Brazilian boy-toy lover Lorenzo. (Even a Queen like MJ needs a fairy tale moment to himself)
4. MJ has already begun to show signs of friction chez Louis Vuitton (and for that matter, Bernard Arnault and his Batman-cum-Robin sidekick Yves Carcelle), after fashion reporters questioned him on Louis Vuitton’s Tokyo pop-up shop collaborative project with Comme Des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo :

“I’ve kind of warned everybody up there that I think they’ve gotten a little too into this idea which, I mean, is great,” Jacobs said. “I’m glad that everybody gets behind it, but what they don’t realize is that I do it at a pace that maintains the brand’s integrity and seems really right, and I think that sometimes everybody loves a good idea so much that they kind of go too far and it kind of kills it.” - NYMAG

Rei Kawakubo - Comme Des Garçons for Louis Vuitton

Beyond the fact that MJ doesn’t appreciate Neuilly-resident, HEC-educated Louis Vuitton marketers telling him what should “sell”, more importantly, he didn’t like the fact that it was done without any of his creative fingerprints on the drawing board. To MJ, if he’s not involved at every step in building Louis Vuitton’s image as a respectable maison de mode then he’s simply wasting his time and talent. And that, my readers, is more valuable to MJ than all the perks Arnault could ever throw at him.

Oh, and look for Brazilian Amazonian and Carmen Miranda inspired prints this upcoming Paris Fashion Week as a sign of MJ’s soon-to-be announced departure.

Confirmed: Marc Jacobs did get “married” in Paris to Brazilian boyfriend Lorenzo

According to inside sources close to the sensationalist designer, Marc Jacobs and his boytoy Brazilian boyfriend Lorenzo Martone really did “tie the knot” in Paris a few weeks back. How shocking!

Now, just to be clear, the two are not officially married per se, given that the French government, like the U.S. of A., does not recognize gay marriages (just not yet at least).

Instead, Marc and Lorenzo got “PAX-ed”, e.g. engaged in a civil union. But here’s the real twist in the story and which is exclusive to Fashioniseme.com:

Because France does not allow non-French citizens to get PAX-ed, MJ had to call in a few favours, namely Bernard Arnault, president and owner of LVMH. But of course, Bernard can’t change the law either….well actually, he sorta can. You see, rumor has it that Bernard Arnault called in a favour from his Carla Bruni-loving buddy and French president, Nicholas Sarkozy, to override French laws and allow the PAX-ing of Marc Jacobs and Lorenzo to proceed. Suffice it to say, MJ leapt through enough red tape to make a long jump Olympian proud. With the French President backing the PAX, Marc Jacobs not only broke the status quo, but sealed his love for his LoLo.

Now this begs the question: what went so wrong with Jason Preston that led Marc Jacobs to commit to a guy he seems to have barely known longer than a NY minute? Seems Jason is all mum these days (unless of course you talk smack about him on the ‘Nets: then he’s all about calling you in the middle of the night, yelling your ear off about how he Googled his name and saw all the nastiness said about him, yadda yadda yadda…)

Listen Jason: if you’re reading this, contact me. I’d love to hear your side of the story. I’ll even have the interview room ready with a tissue box for you and have “Everytime” by Britney Spears playing in the background.

And Marc and Lorenzo: if you’re reading this from Ibiza, I am sending you many many Hollywood air kisses and wish you as much success in your new relationship as you’ve seen in your delicious wonderful designs.

Kayne West – Fashion icon or just a “Poser” in Chic Clothing

While we all know that Kayne West is a multi talented star, few realize his penchant for fashion. For those not in the know, take a look at any number of runway shows from the Paris, Milan, and London Fashion weeks, and you’ll most likely see Mr. West at more than several of them.

Kayne not only brings a sense of the hip hop world to the catwalk, with his pinosh style and over the top exhiberant personality as a formidable performer, he also brings with it his ego. Yes, his ego. In fact, his is so large, he should have a runway seat reserved for it: right in between him and Anna Wintour.

Granted, he has good reason to be ego-centric. He sells more albums than Wendy Williams dishes gossip. Nevertheless, there comes a point when one asks: is it for real or is it for show?

Fashion icon or not, I am starting to believe that the world that Kayne seeks to join is not of fashion. No it’s of “Kayne” and just Kayne. And Kayne now wants you to be like “Kayne”.

Because of course, as if his launching his own line of shoes chez Louis Vuitton wasn’t enough now he wants you to become him. Don’t believe me? See his latest NYC subway ad and decide for yourself.

Louis Vuitton’s Neverfull goes to cities we only dream of : St. Tropez, Portofino, St. Bart’s

So stick this in your Fashion Fedora full of rumors: it is said from high up sources that Louis Vuitton is on a global jet-set campaign to produce exclusive handbags for some of its highest-class locales.

So far, Louis Vuitton has produced and sold out of it’s limited run “St. Tropez Neverfull” which was only available at the rue Francois Sibelli boutique in lovely St. Tropez France. I know what you’re thinking: you wouldve gone and gotten one but you just didn’t have the time, I mean with your very busy summer schmoozing schedule in the Hamptons and of course, Diddy’s White Party.

Fret not fashionistas, for eBay is your friend. You too can own a piece of St. Trop’ and get your Neverfull St. Tropez on eBay for a mere $3000+. Think that’s too much? Well, just take into consideration the price of hotel, airfare, and the cost of the bag before you roll your eyes

You can also snag the St. Tropez Neverfull below directly from Karen’s website for $3995.

KarenKooper.com

Next up on the jet-set boutique trail, Louis Vuitton may soon be launching the limited edition Neverfull signature bag in Portofino, Italy and St. Bart’s.

Unfortunately, you most likely will need to go to the boutique to buy these bags, so no transfers will be possible. Time to cash in those frequent flyer miles before the summer is over

First Image Of The New Louis Vuitton Monogramouflage Handbag!

As far as I can tell, this is very first image of the upcoming and hotly anticipated Louis Vuitton “Monogramouflage” handbag. The bag appears to be crafted in a very sporty form with what appears to be relaxed handles, golden brass hardware press buttons on the exterior side pockets, and a fabric constructed shape sans a rigid structure. What I don’t know is : “What are those red tags on the bag?” Maybe it’s a placeholder for where the “Louis Vuitton” logo will go? Who knows.

I am definitely looking forward to this bag when it comes out in June. Just in case any of my readers are anxious for one, the supposed launch dates are for sometime in early June exclusively at the Brooklyn Museum (June 5ish). Following a 2 week exclusivity at the BKLYN Museum, the Monogramouflage line should be available in select LV Boutiques worldwide.

Thanks again to Karen Kooper.com for the wonderful inside peek to the upcoming Monogramouflage line!

Marty Markowitz’s Wife Hogs Swag at Murakami Gala

Atlantic Yards developer Bruce Ratner wasn’t the only one causing controversy at the Brooklyn Museum’s gala celebration for the Takashi Murakami retrospective last Thursday night. Some attendees say Jamie Snow, wife of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, was rather boorish in her accumulation of freebies at the event.

Each diner at the gala was entitled to one special edition technicolor fiberglass placemat designed by the trendy artist, but it seems Snow’s sense of entitlement was big enough to accommodate eight of the souvenirs, which she snatched from abandoned place settings and had autographed by Murakami after dinner. The mats have been sold for up to $1,000 on eBay by revelers who took them from previous events.

When some attendees at Thursday’s gala realized they missed out on the placemats, they went crying to Snow for one of her eight. According to Radar, she had little sympathy: “You guys really should have acted faster. This is Brooklyn!” Other placemat pleas reportedly elicited responses such as, “You snooze, you lose, buddy. Forget it.” And when her husband, the borough president, was asked to intervene, he responded with a shrug: “Just try being married to her.”

The Daily News confirmed the contretemps with Snow, who admitted it was “a little true.” So Marty Markowitz has vowed to sell the placemats to raise funds for Camp Brooklyn, a program that sends low-income kids to camp. “She didn’t steal, she didn’t thieve, she didn’t take from anyone else,” Markowitz told the News.

It’s here on eBay! click click ——> murakami plates

Article from http://gothamist.com

© MURAKAMI: Brooklyn Museum Photo Gallery

© MURAKAMI, a retrospective of the work of Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, opens Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum. Organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, where it was on view until February, the exhibit primarily focuses Murakami’s work between 1991 and 2000, when the artist began exploring “his own reality through an investigation of branding and identity.” (One additional work, Murakami’s 6,613 pound, 18 foot-tall Oval Buddha sculpture, will be on view at the Sculpture Garden at 590 Madison Avenue at 56th Street.)

Within the Brooklyn Museum exhibit is a fully operational Louis Vuitton store, where consumers can choose from a selection of Monogram Multicolor bags, including the “Monogramouflage,” a new pattern created by Takashi Murakami for Louis Vuitton that for now is only available at the Brooklyn Museum. (It hits stores in June.)

Speaking about the inclusion of the Louis Vuitton shop within the exhibition, Murakami states, “The shop project is not a part of the exhibition; rather it is the heart of the exhibition itself. It holds at once the aspects that fuse, reunite, and then recombine the concept of the readymade. The Louis Vuitton project brings to life a wonderful new world.”

Louis Vuitton at the Brooklyn Museum by Takashi Murakami

 

BROOKLYN—The Brooklyn Museum will house a fully operational Louis Vuitton store “within and as part of” “© MURAKAMI,” a retrospective of work by the Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, on view from April 5 through July 13, 2008, the museum has announced.

The store will offer a selection of Vuitton’s Monogram Multicolor bags and small leather goods as well as “Editioned Canvasses” of the Monogramouflage design created jointly by Murakami and Louis Vuitton artistic director Marc Jacobs, with whom the artist has collaborated since 2003. The pattern heralds a new product line that will be launched at the Brooklyn Museum Louis Vuitton store on June 1 and then sold in selected Louis Vuitton stores worldwide.

“© MURAKAMI” debuted at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in late 2008, where it also featured a Louis Vuitton store, a move that drew considerable controversy. However, according to Murakami, “The shop project is not a part of the exhibition; rather it is the heart of the exhibition itself. It holds at once the aspects that fuse, reunite, and then recombine the concept of the readymade. The Louis Vuitton project brings to life a wonderful new world.”

Perhaps to blunt some of criticism, Vuitton has announced plans to donate a portion of the revenues generated at the store on the evening of the exhibition’s gala to the Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation. The Brooklyn Museum has also announced that Vuitton is underwritting the store’s construction and is responsible for its staffing and operation.

Louis Vuitton Mahina XS Bag

March 27, 2008
post written by Bag Bliss blogger: BrS

Louis Vuitton Mahina XS Bag
Way back in October, Jennifer posted about the Louis Vuitton Mahina Bags (XL and XXL). These gorgeous bags feature the perforated LV monogram pattern, very similar in appearance to the earlier Onatah Collection. Interestingly, the Louis Vuitton Mahina Collection is named after a Polynesian Lunar Deity.

Back then, however, only the XL and XXL sizes were available. These bags are wonderful, but my goodness, …
Continue Reading Story at [URL="http://www.bagbliss.com"]http://www.bagbliss.com[/URL]

France’s Model First Lady

 

Say what you will about her checkered past, her quickie marriage to Nicolas Sarkozy, and those nude photos that keep turning up at the most embarrassing moments. Carla Bruni is still the best thing to happen to France’s fashion industry in years. From the moment she stepped off the plane clad in head-to-toe Dior, France’s new First Lady has been a walking advertisement for Parisian style during a state visit to Britain this week.

Her trim gray Dior coat-dress with matching pillbox hat drew immediate comparisons to Jackie Kennedy and wowed even the jaded Fleet Street crowd. “Perfect!” gushed the tabloid Mirror. “Chic,” intoned The Times. The outfit was one of four Dior creations that Bruni wore on March 26, a day that included lunch at Windsor Castle, a speech by Sarkozy to Parliament, and a state dinner at Buckingham Palace.

Diplomacy may have played a role in the wardrobe selections, since Dior’s star designer, John Galliano, is British. What’s more, Dior’s owner, Bernard Arnault of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is a longtime friend of Sarkozy’s. But Bruni doesn’t seem to be playing couture favorites: her state-visit wardrobe also includes a gown by designer Jean-Paul Gaultier of Hermès.

It helped, of course, that Bruni is a former model who looks drop-dead gorgeous in just about anything. And, well, it probably didn’t hurt that, as The Daily Telegraph put it, Prince Charles’ wife Camilla Parker-Bowles “dressed in what appeared to be an aged cleaning lady’s old brown coat, and topped with a hat that looked like a beret upon which a dead pheasant had crash-landed.” Ouch.

French fashion houses have never had such a stylish ambassador in the Elysée Palace. The former Madame Sarkozy, Cécilia, was also an ex-model and a bigtime clothes shopper. But she seemed to favor Italian fashion over French: She wore Prada at Sarkozy’s swearing-in last year, and her recent remarriage in New York City was announced by the house of Versace, which dressed her and her new husband, Richard Attias, for the occasion.

Former First Lady Bernadette Chirac was a fan of Chanel and always impeccably clad. But she was already a matronly 62 when her husband became President in 1995. Bruni is only 40. The nude photos and the past liaisons with Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton may not be conventional trappings for a President’s wife – but they create a frisson that could help French fashion in its quest to remain young and hip.