Sketch Me A Dream.

I have to admit, my love for Marc Jacobs is often tempestuous, like a storm that I can't really predict. Sometimes praise and adulation for him torrentially pours out of my being, and other times the feelings are cold, dusty, and dry. Although I'm not always a personal fan of his offerings (I did not for the life of me understand or desire any of his '80s on steroids garb from last season), I nearly always find something in either of his collections that indicates his preternatural ability to single-handedly push mass fashion culture in a new direction. He's on the crest of the wave of popular opinion, in fact I think he may be creating it at this point in time. He gets what women are willing to wear and gives it a thorough dusting of his brand of "be cool now". It takes a special kind of designer to sell all sorts of ephemera simply because it's stamped with a name, and Marc is king of the heap on that level. That, however, is not all he's capable of; if it were, there would be no real interest in him as a fashion designer, he would be more of a salesman, a businessman. Marc can sometimes hit both notes, the sellable and the awe-inspiring. When he does strike that chord just right, it's a beautiful thing. Take for example, the closing dress from his most recent collection:

It's a shame that this image is so small (catch a bigger glimpse here) because the dress is a masterful example of lightness. It's layers of sheer fabric are edged in thin, black, border stitching.

The effect is of a designer's quick ink sketch come to full, diaphanous life. It's remarkable. It's a wearable line drawing. I can almost hear the scratch of a calligrapher's pen against a fine quality cotton paper when I look at it. Worn over loose, sheer leggings, and with simple, pretty flats, it's a whisper of chic. It's as light as the sigh I'm breathing imagining wearing it. Ah, sigh...

Photos from Style.com.