Blumarine by Marc Jacobs - A 2023 Capsule Collection

[WAVES]

what is this? Marc Jacobs designed it?
I need to sit down.

 

[Nimsay]

Marc by Marc always had accessibly-priced smaller accessories, totes and tshirts though? Obviously leather bags were going to cost but his main line and MBMJ were flourishing into the late 00s and he was easily the most influential American designer still working in that era, no contest. It wasn't till the '10s that his brand started floundering. But before that he was one of the main brands that the Topshop, Zara and H&M of that era were knocking off!

this Blumarine sh*t is pure stinker through and through (y2k aesthetics are no longer a trend, I'm surprised Marc of all people has failed to clue in to that), like please, the time to do this was MAYBE 2021 at the latest. And especially puzzling because Marc's own designs in that era never looked anything like the y2k stuff that got trendy in 2020? He'd have been better served by revisiting his own work than attaching his name to these random collaborations but I have no idea what the money situation is so maybe it works for that.

I don't even think the Heaven line is anything more than a rubberstamp by Marc on whatever Ava Nirui puts out, it has barely any trace of the aesthetic influence of Marc's collections from the first two decades of his career but the "controversy" article is a pile of poorly written word soup. I mean



followed by



is Shoichi Aoki considered white now or is hiring him not considered acknowledgement of his influence on spreading that aesthetic

followed by how google searches of y2k icons turning up white celebs, or black ones being called "trashy" is somehow the fault of MJ? and this is from a Yale student (who presumably learnt how to write from twitter, going by the apparent inability to make coherent or logical arguments, I hope that kid's class assignments are better than whatever he submits to that campus clickbait site).

That ashlee simpson look was the marc by marc look.

Marc is sadly not aging gracefully so he insists on proving hes still hip with the kids. Very fashion victim really.

Blumarine has association with LVMH? Seems like LVMH hasnt given up on Marc yet and keep giving him a go to retain his “hype”.

 

[Drusilla_]

A lot of the controversy people found with it is that it copied a smaller brand. I think this just affirmed the popularity of second hand shopping and small businesses when it came to shopping y2k.

do you mean to say that Heaven copied a specific smaller brand, because I can't find one named anywhere in this context. Marc has had previous instances of copying vintage pieces or even designer ones but I can't find any mention of what he's alleged to have copied and from whom exactly in this collection. As things stand, this "controversy" is a big fat nothing, Heaven remains ugly and tacky though.

That ashlee simpson look was the marc by marc look.

Marc is sadly not aging gracefully so he insists on proving hes still hip with the kids. Very fashion victim really.

Marc by Marc Jacobs was to mainline Marc Jacobs what Miu Miu was to Prada albeit more affordable than Miu Miu ever was - at its peak in the mid-late 00s it wasn't doing the typical 'budget' diffusion line aesthetic, but more of its own thing. And as for target aesthetic, it was meant for a 'cool downtown girl' type, not, well, Ashley Simpson.

Marc doing a 'collaboration' with a brand that in the 00s stood for everything (tacky, cliched, dated) that his brands weren't, is bringing his name down to trend-follower/fashion-victim level which is sad because in that actual decade, he was one of the names that set its trends.

 

[ozztara]

do you mean to say that Heaven copied a specific smaller brand, because I can't find one named anywhere in this context. Marc has had previous instances of copying vintage pieces or even designer ones but I can't find any mention of what he's alleged to have copied and from whom exactly in this collection. As things stand, this "controversy" is a big fat nothing, Heaven remains ugly and tacky though.

Maybe it’s a nothing topic for you, but as a young person I remember a lot of buzz about it on tiktok, twitter, etc. Wether or not I think the controversy is valid is a separate point.





The tweet didn’t pop off, but this video did amongst gen z fashion circles. Alice Glass also called him out for it too, which yk it’s Alice Glass.

Again my experience of seeing Heaven on socials has generally been negative, with other copying allegations, or ppl just thinking it’s overpriced and cringe - but I’m not gonna sit here and link tiktoks lmao.

I really didn’t think I would be elaborating this much anyway haha.

Also I was never talking about the controversy/copying effecting this collection, I was talking about how I think people have this strong idea that the Blumarine collab is gonna be popular with gen z, when a lot of the gen z that would care enough to know this is happening don’t like Marc Jacobs as a result of the above. Again wether you think that’s valid is kinda moot point, I was just explaining how at least people I’m around in online circles feel ))

 

[Mutterlein]

I really like this collaboration on paper but in reality it's pretty bad.

 

[Drusilla_]

Maybe it’s a nothing topic for you, but as a young person I remember a lot of buzz about it on tiktok, twitter, etc. Wether or not I think the controversy is valid is a separate point.





The tweet didn’t pop off, but this video did amongst gen z fashion circles. Alice Glass also called him out for it too, which yk it’s Alice Glass.

Again my experience of seeing Heaven on socials has generally been negative, with other copying allegations, or ppl just thinking it’s overpriced and cringe - but I’m not gonna sit here and link tiktoks lmao.

I really didn’t think I would be elaborating this much anyway haha.

Also I was never talking about the controversy/copying effecting this collection, I was talking about how I think people have this strong idea that the Blumarine collab is gonna be popular with gen z, when a lot of the gen z that would care enough to know this is happening don’t like Marc Jacobs as a result of the above. Again wether you think that’s valid is kinda moot point, I was just explaining how at least people I’m around in online circles feel ))

thank you for the clarification of context, it wasn't clear from the previous post.

The Blumarine project remains ugly and, frankly, the opposite of what Marc's brand stood for in the actual era this was supposed to be a throwback to, as @Mutterlein says it may have sounded good on paper to some but it's too much y2k, too little old Marc, like MJ the brand just wiped its own 00s archives from memory or something.

 

[daoudmac]

Maybe it’s a nothing topic for you, but as a young person I remember a lot of buzz about it on tiktok, twitter, etc. Wether or not I think the controversy is valid is a separate point.





The tweet didn’t pop off, but this video did amongst gen z fashion circles. Alice Glass also called him out for it too, which yk it’s Alice Glass.

Again my experience of seeing Heaven on socials has generally been negative, with other copying allegations, or ppl just thinking it’s overpriced and cringe - but I’m not gonna sit here and link tiktoks lmao.

I really didn’t think I would be elaborating this much anyway haha.

Also I was never talking about the controversy/copying effecting this collection, I was talking about how I think people have this strong idea that the Blumarine collab is gonna be popular with gen z, when a lot of the gen z that would care enough to know this is happening don’t like Marc Jacobs as a result of the above. Again wether you think that’s valid is kinda moot point, I was just explaining how at least people I’m around in online circles feel ))

I don’t understand what’s so shocking about the stealing allegations when centered around Marc Jacobs. Do the fashionistas and or anyone that follows the collections not see that almost every collection he did was some sort of “Homage” and yet they were almost exact duplicates of whatever designer or period he decided to knock off that season? I don’t think much of him as a designer so maybe I’m not the best person to criticize but having followed his career from his almost sinking (Perry Ellis) with the grunge collection in the 90’s up to his Vuitton days he soured quickly on me. The thing that most irked me was the absolute fawning over him when it was apparent he just copied and tweaked a well known designer (CDG, Margiela, Westwood on and on) and shot that down the runway. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that most of that adulation came from having Anna Wintours Blahnik heel being dug into the toes of fashion journalists. Sorry for the rant, my two cents.

 

[Nimsay]

Yes MJ has never been that original - he also has no look. He is known for mixing up Americana - thats why this Heaven stuff is actually VERY Marc, despite being awful. Marc has always been Ralph Laurens cousin who went to art school in Paris. Marcs whole thing has been an artistic flourish on Americana standards. Like japanese selvedge wide cut jeans a-la lumberjack. Silver foil coated japanese selvege denim jackets. Of course Marc still predicted society because like 5 years later these jeans were in style with those wedge boots and handle bar mustaches.

I dont understand what Marc doing what Marc does has anything to do with 2003? Why would he reissue dated clothes? Nobody is dressing 1 for 1 like its 2003. I think Karl was right that Retro is demodé.

 

[Drusilla_]

I dont understand what Marc doing what Marc does has anything to do with 2003? Why would he reissue dated clothes?

for starters I never said he was original, my earlier post literally mentions he's had previous instances of copying. And the irony of mentioning dated clothes in the context of a Blumarine collection that reeks of early 00s in a way that might have been cute and novel three years ago but was tired by mid-2022.....my point wasn't about why he's not reissuing his own archives from those years, it was why he's done a 180 to chase this particular look on its way out of the trend cycle.

Nobody is dressing 1 for 1 like its 2003.

considering the 2020s iteration of early 00s fashion so far seems to involve exactly that (down to accessories, hair and makeup styles often being copied beat for beat from what was fashionable in those years and people even trying to make digital cameras a thing again), I don't think this statement is completely accurate, if you don't mind my saying so.The number of photographs I see of people who look like they fell out of the 'y2k' era with the only present-day giveaway being the smartphone in their hands or the filter on the picture rather belies it.

 

[daoudmac]

for starters I never said he was original, my earlier post literally mentions he's had previous instances of copying. And the irony of mentioning dated clothes in the context of a Blumarine collection that reeks of early 00s in a way that might have been cute and novel three years ago but was tired by mid-2022.....my point wasn't about why he's not reissuing his own archives from those years, it was why he's done a 180 to chase this particular look on its way out of the trend cycle.



considering the 2020s iteration of early 00s fashion so far seems to involve exactly that (down to accessories, hair and makeup styles often being copied beat for beat from what was fashionable in those years and people even trying to make digital cameras a thing again), I don't think this statement is completely accurate, if you don't mind my saying so.The number of photographs I see of people who look like they fell out of the 'y2k' era with the only present-day giveaway being the smartphone in their hands or the filter on the picture rather belies it.

Apologies if I came off as coming for you, I was generalizing and not pointing you out directly. As I said it’s my two cents and again I meant no insult nor was I trying to be condescending.

 

[ozztara]

I don’t understand what’s so shocking about the stealing allegations when centered around Marc Jacobs. Do the fashionistas and or anyone that follows the collections not see that almost every collection he did was some sort of “Homage” and yet they were almost exact duplicates of whatever designer or period he decided to knock off that season? I don’t think much of him as a designer so maybe I’m not the best person to criticize but having followed his career from his almost sinking (Perry Ellis) with the grunge collection in the 90’s up to his Vuitton days he soured quickly on me. The thing that most irked me was the absolute fawning over him when it was apparent he just copied and tweaked a well known designer (CDG, Margiela, Westwood on and on) and shot that down the runway. I wouldn’t be surprised to find that most of that adulation came from having Anna Wintours Blahnik heel being dug into the toes of fashion journalists. Sorry for the rant, my two cents.

Tbh I don’t think it was any more ‘shocking’ than any other allegation, it just became more relevant to those group of people specifically as it was a gen z targeted brand. Heaven struck a chord with a strange subgroup of people imo.

Also it became more relevant as it wasn’t just duplicating some designer that already had notoriety, they were copying random people off socials and a poc owned, independent brand. That’s far more boycott worthy then something, like some of those ‘homage’ collections, that could be rationalised.

Of course now with the controversy at Heaven in mind, when people go back to view his collections they might not rationalise it and also see it as copying in some way or another.

 

[avonlea002]

Many great designers copy. Ford copied Halston, most of Prada 90s collections are "homages" to Andre Courreges, Mcqueen loved borrowing from Alaia and Japanese designers. In the end of the day it's the vision that matters and that's the issue with new designers. They take from others but can't create their own world with it.

 

[FashionMuseDior]

They went for the stereotypical high school mean girl early 00s look.

 

[Drusilla_]

Many great designers copy. Ford copied Halston, most of Prada 90s collections are "homages" to Andre Courreges, Mcqueen loved borrowing from Alaia and Japanese designers. In the end of the day it's the vision that matters and that's the issue with new designers. They take from others but can't create their own world with it.

also Marc himself copying from smaller designers is nothing new - to name just one instance that I personally remember, there was a whole scarf in 2008 that was an exact copy of a Swedish artist's design. It got a minute of traction on the blogs but if a brand is already popular, it takes a Balenciaga-type scandal to blow it off course to a level that actually puts a dent in perception/profits, and people take child abuse-connected allegations far more seriously than they will ever take copying.

They went for the stereotypical high school mean girl early 00s look.

yeah it's a very no-imagination type look. No one needs a Blumarine (or MJ for that matter) price point for that stuff.

 

[jeremydante]

Not understanding the necessity of this partnership.

 

[Bernie Flood]

Wait til Hedi Slimane join this aesthetic

 

[LadyJunon]

Wait til Hedi Slimane join this aesthetic

In hindsight, I'm surprised he hasn't already.

 

[Drusilla_]

Wait til Hedi Slimane join this aesthetic

I'd be surprised if he did considering he was the OG to lead menswear OUT of its early 00s look, it would be like Tom Ford doing big ruffled 80s/early 90s dresses and old-lady jackets.

 

[LadyJunon]

I'd be surprised if he did considering he was the OG to lead menswear OUT of its early 00s look, it would be like Tom Ford doing big ruffled 80s/early 90s dresses and old-lady jackets.

In all fairness, 80s YSL does look very similar to 40s/50s Couture, so it's absolutely possible.

That said, Hedi is too menswear focused to notice this shift.