Everything is in place in advance of Marc Jacobs' arrival at the rooftop bar of Moscow's glossiest hotel, the Ritz Carlton. For his first interview to promote the first Marc Jacobs boutique in the money-no-object luxe-fashion destination that is Moscow 2008, his modest "rider" aside from the private jet that flew him in, the Ritz suite, and the personal trainer is a glass of post-rehab Diet Coke on the rocks, which fizzes merrily on a tabletop beside a crystal ashtray.
Evidence
of yet another designer who turns control freak in interviews? Not Marc
Jacobs. At just 45, Jacobs is a powerful fashion force, but he is known
for being down-to-earth and speaking his mind, no matter what is on it.
His achievements speak for themselves. His directional Marc Jacobs
catwalk collection, launched in 1994 (bags came in 2000), remains a
kooky-cool high point of New York fashion week. The spin-off perfumes,
including the latest, Daisy, are bestsellers. His diffusion Marc by
Marc Jacobs line, established in 2001, is an essential with the younger
fashion set the world over. And his work for Louis Vuitton, where he
has been the wilfully controversial creative director since 1997, is
also consistently era-defining.
