In a new interview with WWD, Marc Jacobs speaks in glowing terms about his 'inspirational, fit-model muse', Jamie Bochert.
When asked why he designed such a dark collection for SS14, Jacobs replied 'Jamie comes in with jet black hair and traipses in some old Victorian dress in the middle of summer. And you know what? She looks cool. So you sort of say, “Why not?” We started looking at things that are Victorian. It really started out with a pair of surf shorts and a Victorian blouse. I just thought, wouldn’t I think it was cool to see a girl walking down the street in a beautiful Victorian blouse with a pair of boy’s surf shorts?'
So who is this powerful figure who Jacobs finds so inspiring? Bochert is an American model born in 1983. Her career kicked off with a 2002 cover of i-D magazine, and she's been used by Jacobs on and off since 2008, when she opened his spring show – though these days she's more often behind the scenes, working as his fit-model while he develops collections. She's a favourite of Vogue Italia, for whom she's done several covers and editorials (often shot by Steven Meisel), and for SS14 you might have seen her walking for Louis Vuitton (of course), Vionnet, Chanel, Emanuel Ungaro, Givenchy, Lanvin, Anna Sui and Proenza Schouler.
Bochert also sings (rather beautifully) and plays guitar under the stage name Frances Wolf, often performing with her husband, who happens to be Boardwalk Empire actor Michael Pitt.
So there you go. Keep an eye on this girl's style – she's got a hotline to Marc Jacobs.