BOOKMARC BY NIGHT - 400 BLEECKER STREET PH: Jason JobsonMarc Jacobs is the designer that made Bleecker Street in New York's West Village a luxury shopping destination. The combination of cool designer shops with those Magnolia Bakery cupcakes were a match made in fashionista heaven.
MJ PENCILS, PENS, COMPACT AND BOOK MARK When Sex & The City featured the bakery in the iconic series - things would never be the same. What was a regular destination for the cool downtown scene quickly morphed into a must see for pop culture disciples from around the world.
Jacobs is a world famous fashion designer in charge of French mega-brand Louis Vuitton. LV is the company that basically invented the designer monogram. While Jacobs was known for his own signature collection in fashion circles, it was LV that made him a household name. The bad boy of American fashion quickly grew into the much larger shoes he had leapt.
MJ PENCIL BOX & NOTEBOOKBy his side from the beginning was business partner Robert Duffy. Unknown to most outside the industry, insiders credit Duffy with many of the business decisions that brought Jacobs to the top of his game. Without Duffy's determination and belief in the designer, the dismissal from Perry Ellis for creating a grunge collection for the runway could have been the end of Jacob's career. Instead, it was just the beginning. Duffy parlayed this misunderstood creative outsider into a commodity that he was able to sell first to the Japanese, as Onward Kashiyama were the first backers for the Marc Jacobs label in 1986- and ultimately in the fashion capital of the world - Paris! In 1997 Jacobs would begin working with Louis Vuitton. Launching the RTW collection for the house and ultimately becoming creative director for the entire brand.
Bleecker Street is said to be another brainchild of Mr. Duffy. What would spearhead the return to small boutiques showcasing designer brands was inspired by Duffy's desire to be able to walk to work from his West Village home. Bravo Mr. Duffy! Now the street is home to a wide range of designers from Ralph Lauren to Gant to Mulberry. 
MARC JACOBS AND HIS NEW BANG
This week yet another Marc Jacobs store has opened on Bleecker. This makes five store fronts on Bleecker and a total of seven in the West Village. Obviously the concept works. While another store might seem obsessive, the company has unveiled a new concept. BOOKMARC is the first official bookstore from Mr. Jacobs. While several of the Marc Jacobs boutiques have sold books in the past, this marks (not Marc's!) the first full scale book store. The space at 400 Bleecker street has a proven track record as a destination for hard to find books. Biography Bookshop was legendary on the street but went the way of most independent bookstores.
The opening was perfect timing for me, as I was making a care package for a young girl who has just left for Paris for her first year at University. I thought what better way to get her motivated to study than a box full of Marc Jacobs accessories!
BOOKMARC BY DAY - 401 BLEECKER STREET W/ VINTAGE VETTE!Earlier this summer Marc Jacobs unveiled another....project - to say the least. The latest fragrance from Jacobs named BANG hit the shelves with a flashy bottle that looks somewhat of a cross between a Thierry Mugler flask and a Diesel fist bottle. To be sure the Men's fragrance launch did not go unnoticed, Mr. Jacobs posed nude for the promotional material. Jacobs was a late bloomer so to speak regarding working out and the gym culture that is so central to many gay men. I've written about his personal transformation on these pages in the past. Once a skinny waif, Jacobs is know tanned, tattooed, and buff. The promo shots weren't my favorite, but the fragrance is sure to be a big bang hit!
Visit Bleecker Street - BOOKMARC, and all the Marc Jacobs shops you will find there! Have a cupcake at Magnolia and venture south of Christopher Street to see OVANDO - the coolest flower shop in NYC!
Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 2:02PM 
KARL LAGERFELDMr. CHANEL himself -Karl Lagerfeld seems to have an idea for the future of the house that tweed built. Recently,
HAIDER ACKERMANN when pressed to name a designer who should succeed the him at CHANEL, Karl named Belgian designer Haider Ackermann as the man for the job. Not that Mr. Ackermann should start sketching tweed ensembles too quickly, after all - Karl has a contract for life. Even though the German born designer is nearing 80, there is no stopping him. Lagerfeld has no plans to retire. (Marc Jacobs must have winced when he read this). Furthermore, just because Karl thinks Ackermann should take the reigns one day - doesn't mean it will happen. Remember, Coco Chanel herself said she thought Yves Saint Laurent was the most talented young designer in France at the time and should take over for her someday. Never Happened! 
