nostalgia by marc jacobs

Isn't it strange how differently you can see a collection after experiencing something completely independent of anything having to do with the collection itself? Rereading my review of Marc Jacobs Fall 2010 I wrote the night of the show, it's not that I necessarily disagree, but as I now try and preserve memories from the first 14 years of my life, saving anecdotes from old play dates and getting way too saddened at the sight of my elementary school before I begin 9th grade in the fall, the wool skirts and barely-there nightgowns are something different to me.
Sans titre 2Sans titre 3
Sans titre 1
Yesterday I wrote something for a zine I'm making* about what it's been like to try and sustain pieces of childhood and now certain elements of the collection resonate for me in that light. The simplicity in Mary Jane-esque shoes, embroidered florals, transparent nightgowns in baby blue and a sunshiney yellow, chunky sweaters, bows, and a daisy print all collectively remind me of the blissful ignorance and innocence one has at a very young age and may at some point yearn for. But, as nostalgia goes, dwelling can be unhealthy and painful, so dashes of newness in the forms of sequins and rhinestones and golden threads and glitter plastic, are essential. Balanced out by these details and the use of modern fabrics, the collection is saved from being vintage redux. The glimmer elements are a reminder to move on.

Now, I know these were not the intentions of Marc Jacobs, but I like finding a collection that I feel effectively translates a feeling of mine, whether the designer meant it or not. It wasn't supposed to be about adolescence and I don't think it was designed for adolescents to wear. Well, not exclusively. I think it truly caters to all ages. And that works with what it means to me, since nostalgia can't be something you feel only at the time where childhood is like, see ya, sucker! and then teenagerdom is like, MUAHAH, YOU'RE MINE, HERE, HAVE SOME PIMPLES.

Nostalgia creeps up on you and puts you in a haze, and this collection did the same thing. The overall simplicity brought everyone at the show that night into a childlike state where something as mild as a long woolen skirt was magical. (Well, everyone in my viewing range, at least. It's awesome to see people break their facade because a collection is just that good.) It redeemed the most inspiring part about childhood nostalgia, when everything was intriguing and new. Trying to keep in a constant state of excitement and wonder is difficult, but occasionally something like, say, this collection, comes along, and you just can't help but let your eyes widen.

*The piece of writing will not be published online since I'd like to keep some things offline and special and whatnot. But basically: childhood, grasping, whiny teenager, you get the gist. (I know I'm still a child, but not the way I was when I was, like, eight.)

62 comments:

brodie said...

this is really sweet.
ps totz should still sell your zine online. like in australia here and/or here the end.
get some pocket money to buy pop rocks...or a woolen skit.

Leizl Basilio said...

I admire your fashion sense second to your writing. Please do not take any offense to that.

Marta said...

i like the way you write, and you know what maybe i'll buy you a T-shirt!! hahaha
:)

Indigo said...

wow. simple beautiful xxx

Zara said...

You write with such clarity and simplicity. I really enjoy reading all your posts.

Melissa said...

Well I think fashion isn't always about what the designer wants to portray, but also about what feelings they evoke in you.

The collection is beautiful

sarah said...

it's really interesting, for me, to find how my reaction to art changes over time, simply by virtue of the fact that i have changed, and it has not.
i was rereading one of my old favourites (emily of new moon) the other day, and my vantage point had completely changed.
sometimes it's hard, sometimes it's just plain curious.

firefly said...

I know what you mean, about nostalgia and what not. I biked past my old middle school a week after graduation and was like, "This is the first time I will be going to a new school BECAUSE I GRADUATED. I won't ever be a student there." Because even in fifth grade, I took a trip right at the end of the year and moved right after that, so the whole feeling was very strange.

fireflyworks.blogspot.com

Mila said...

I love the collection!! I agree with you too, some things are better kept off the internet.

Anonymous said...

I like your idea and the collection. I hope you have fun making the zine because making things is fun. I also like your new header...very collage-y and you.

inkarlcerating said...

"hey have some pimple" lol

but what u have said is all true..

wonderful morning to u

Dori the Giant said...

Being nostalgic every day makes life a little greater. It really does.

Nicola said...

let your readers know if you'll be selling zines online! i always enjoy your blog posts, so a whole frikkin zine by you should be equally GREAT.

Isabelle said...

Beautiful writing, as usual.
Your post really made me think, as usual.
I LOVE Marc. He is arguably my favorite designer and i love when you post about him, it gives me a fresh new perspective on a fashion mogul I love so much.

duodynamique.blogspot.com
duodynamique.blogspot.com

Eva said...

Kudos on making a zine. They're a totally underrated journalistic/art form. Best of luck!

http://thatsjustmybag.onsugar.com/

Jinnyd said...

Nostalgia is the epitome of feeling warm and fuzzy. I loved this collection! Mostly for the kitten heels, but it just felt so much like how fall and the start of the school year is supposed to feel.

WendyB said...

Have you been reading the What Courtney Wore Today blog? She's been reminiscing (or her minions have been reminiscing) about vintage MJ.

KARLITO said...

Gosh Tavi, you always seem to put what I'm feeling into words that I can never, ever possibly be able to write down. I love feeling nostalgic because it makes me feel whole again and it reminds me of where I came from. I start college next month and I can still trigger the same feelings I had five years ago when I was in eighth grade.
So once again thanks and I plan on checking out the collection as soon as possible.

KARLITO said...

PS.
I didn't realize this while reading your post but I'm currently listening to a song titled Youth by Beach Fossils. How perfect.

the 90s will never die said...

That's one of the things I like most about fashion, when you look at something and it just sets off this whole cascade of thoughts and random associations that maybe don't have anything to do with the collection for anyone else, but are intensely personal for you. I think designers tend to keep things open ended to give people room to do that. I guess fashion is like music in that way.

Nostalgia is the best though...when I'm happy I get nostalgia constantly, from different periods of my life like childhood or even just a couple of years ago, and then by extension, for periods of time in the past that I wasn't even alive/older than a baby for. Don't you find that nostalgia makes you way more creative though? It's like the nostalgia-association process extends to everything else and you start making all kinds of other random life-associations that become something awesome. Okay I'm not sure if that made any sense but anyway...your last few "writing" posts have been fucking spot on when it comes to putting these kind of Important Feelings into words.

In a few years you will be nostalgic for teenagerdom too! aaaa scary!

Tavi said...

Wendy-Yes!!! I tried reading the last post about her relationship with Andy Warhol but the whole thing is just so unreadable haha.

Angelica-Nostalgia makes me more sad than it does happy, which is not good, but looking at it for creative inspiration would help!

FASHION SNAG said...

I love your writing.


www.FashionSnag.com

derek said...

i think that the best collections are able to activate your emotions cause it just shows how powerful and amazing that collection is! heehee

derek said...

i think that the best collections are able to activate your emotions cause it just shows how powerful and amazing that collection is! heehee

Mary Standish said...

My favorites Marc Jacobs comes from the introduction of Gemma Ward in 2004 by Marc By Marc Jarcobs... So fresh, wide eyed, young, and ready to take over the industry!

Please follow me at http://huntersofzanzibar.blogspot.com/
Greatly appreciated!

BB said...

The nostalgia for childhood is the feeling healthy makes us feel less the weight of years that pass too fast at times.
I love the light fabrics, lace and everything that makes my mind fly!


http://ilovetheshoppingonline.blogspot.com/

zoomslow said...

Not that I'm like a teacher or anything, Tavi, but wow, your writing is getting stronger all the time. Connecting new feelings to a collection that (in a way) you thought you'd finished with - that's impressive! And so beautifully expressed! A++ for you, Tavi Gevinson! ;-)

"But, as nostalgia goes, dwelling can be unhealthy and painful..." So true! I think I must put any nostalgia I experience into my attempts at creativity. That way I can pass it on straight away. I guess I try and use it to create something new? :-)

"Trying to keep in a constant state of excitement and wonder is difficult..." I agree! I'm really happy that this collection has got you all inspired! I bought a print of Picasso's "Weeping Woman" the other day. Whenever I look at it I find myself wondering, "What was that man thinking!?!?!?" :-)

P.S Bummer indeed!

-Ria xo said...

A zine? I like it! And may try it... So it'll be like a scrapbook on some level? Let your artistic skills shine through :)
-Ria
P.S Have you been reading What Courtney Wore Today? If not- the blog is great, and you should check it out :)

Anonymous said...

isnt it strange that something like this can fill you up with memories and emotions.I miss my primary school in ways and those simpler times but sometimes you've just gotta move on.im not quite sure what im saying anymore.just i get what you mean even if you dont get what i mean.

MELISSA Z. said...

awesome collection, love it so much! wow! <3

www.abitoffashion.com

Anonymous said...

Tavi,I feel like the review just after the show was less thought out than this one, probably because you were still getting over the amazingness of the clothes then.
Also I know it is to leave school, I left my primary school just a week ago
(I live in London)
(And I'm 11

like fried chicken said...

It seems like it's time for you to read (or reread) To Kill A Mockingbird.

The yearning for "simpler" times is completely understandable, even at your age. When you're 8 you wish you were 5, when you're 13 you wish you were 11, when you're 18 you wish you were 13, when you're 30 you wish you were 20, and so on.
But at your particular age you're reaching that dawning of realization, realizing that the world (and adults) can be stupid, hating them for being stupid, trying to avoid being stupid but also thinking what's the point, and then realizing that we're all just human (but some people truly are stupid).

I promise you that you'll (probably) find your equilibrium. Finding that happy medium between being content with where you are whilst continuously striving forward so that you don't need to seesaw between being morbidly existential and trying to save the world.

And I realize I'm being more than presumptuous seeing how this post is principally about fashion, but between the lines it just seems like you're at least sort of going through something like this.

Anke Weckmann said...

i hope you'll get an Etsy shop or something similar to sell your zines! ♥

MartaPalczewska said...

This collection is wonderful ! ♥

http://waronclothes.blogspot.com/
new post - new inspirations < 3

Bisou Bisou ;);*

Brianna said...

wow. you write very beautifully. And I hope you sell your magazines, too.
bri-thestylesavant.blogspot.com

Angie said...

You know, I'm 32 (and a half) and you are able to verbalize what I still feel. Now I have two daughters and I grapple to hold onto their childhoods. It's a crazy cycle, and enjoy the melancholy.

the Citizen Rosebud said...

You really put thoughts into words really well. You ARE a child, and yet not. You are a soul, regardless of age, that seems to see things in a unique and convincing way, and have this wonderful gift of sharing it. Thank-you for sharing it. It's beautiful.

Lyndranette said...

this collection really is amazing. tavi your so observant.

lyndranette.blogspot.com

Seewah said...

"childhood is like, see ya, sucker! and then teenagerdom is like, MUAHAH, YOU'RE MINE, HERE, HAVE SOME PIMPLES"
Ehl O-freaking Ehl.
You crack my socks off. Just hilarious.
Love your writing ;)

... said...

i love this collection
the clothes look really vintage

Tavi said...

kristyfruition-Thank you for this comment! Yay for ~understanding~. I really do need to reread TKAM...it's the 50th anniversary after all...

liveonbeauty said...

I'm using your photos from this post, to write about marc jacobs in my blog.
It's a brazilian blog, and I'm trying to find nice things to publish.
I really liked those images.
is it ok with you?
if not, let me know and i will delete, alright?
thanx
take care
anna luft

Izzen said...

Second picture = AMAZING.

http://izzenxoxo.blogspot.com/

aleksays said...

Your blog is incredibly different from others, it focuses on the beautiful aspects of fashion. Not just the look, but the feeling, the emotion, and here with Marc, the nostalgia.
bravo.

www.aleksays.blogspot.com

Cuca said...

VISIT MY BLOG!

It´s similar like the style roockie

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enter and comment please, I opened it today :)

Cuca said...

VISIT MY BLOG!

It´s similar like the style roockie

www.thestylecuca.blogspot.com

enter and comment please, I opened it today :)

Cuca said...

I really admire you Tavi, you are AWESOME, keep writting you´ve got a enormous future :) good luck!

Fashionlass said...

Although I am only three years older than you, I have to sound like a crotchety old person for a moment and say how refreshing it is to read a piece of writing by a girl wise beyond her years.
The writing of even my classmates appalls me, and reading your blog always puts a smile on my face, telling me that our generation actually still has some hope.
The views are new and refreshing, and I look forward to your next post.

-Fashionlass

Jamie said...

um... so hi ! i've silently read your blog since like back in 08 ! came across this today. thought I would share. You've probably already heard about the amazingness of Kermit Tesoro though. keep of the awesomeness !

http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/11034/kermit-tesoro-skull-heels-and-more.html

Alexandra said...

truth or dare? i DARE you to visit

http://insertcreativeness.blogspot.com/

if you dont, then you are chicken. i promise its nothing weird, its all about fashion and experiences. its real awesome. trust me.

xoxo alexandra

CynthiaC said...

I love the collection, but on a more practical side, I don't think it would look that great on most people. Some of the skirts are a few inches below the knee on the models, which means that if you're average height or shorter (basically 5'6" or below), it would be about mid-calf - A HORRIBLE LENGTH unless you're like 5'10 and SKINNY (shorter people might be able to pull it off if they are very small-framed...just a thought :)

Katja said...

My god, you inspire me, i just can't belive that you're just 14 years old, im 24 swedish studing fashion in paris. You inspire, u rock

www.katjaeino.blogspot.com

/katja

Sarah said...

Hey Tavi,

Have you checked out WEMAKEZINES? It's like a facebook for zinesters.

www.wemakezines.ning.net

Thamy said...

Hello!!

i love your blog!!

it's my blog:http;//curiosidadesdatata.blogspot.com

cancercowboy said...

interesting interpretation. and damn well put. this is what exculpates even mediocre art. not the intentions of the creator but that some recipient or other senses a special something in it.
dwelling indeed is unhealthy and sometimes painful, 'cause thats when the regrets about what you did or didn't do kick in. guess they're kinda inevitable. and even regrets have a sunny side. one can learn. cold comfort, but some comfort after all. Rock on!

Anonymous said...

Very well written! I especially liked the teenage years and pimple sentence hahaha

I remember seeing this collection for the first time and being surprised that it was so simple, but, for some reason.. I absolutely loved it. Not because it was Marc Jacobs (although, the designer can have a lot to do with why I'll like something), but because it seemed daring and subtle at the same time. I thought it was pretty close to perfect.

Unknown said...

One of the most beautiful Jacobs' collection...

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Un nuovo punto di vista sul mondo della moda

A new point of view on the fashion world.

Liz said...

I like what you wrote but MJ is not for adolescents. Maybe for someone young with a hefty pocketbook - but these designs are for a woman's body & for a woman's closet because it fits into her more adult life.

I'm 20 so I'm really not an "adult" per-say but I have gone through adolescence & puberty. But I don't think I could pull off these looks when I was 14 because my body would make it look like I was either 6 wearing a kids nightgown, or again, a child playing dress up.

MJ is beautiful. And I totally see what you're saying about an unintended nostalgia - and for that reason should be worn by people who have enough nostalgia to back it up.

Just a thought.

shinju- said...

it's hilarious how i'm not exactly a fashion person (i'm not very excited about clothes haha) but i can relate to some of your posts.. like this one (:

Unknown said...

You're way too emo for a ninth grader. (Yeah, even more than average.)

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