“Marc by Sofia,” the documentary film opening this week from director Sofia Coppola about her friend Marc Jacobs, is a ’90s fashion story, too. Bloomingdale’s brings top customers to L.A. for some “California Love.” Staud’s latest collaboration is gold. And inside the beauty brand frenzy Sephoria that came to downtown L.A. last weekend.
Marc by Sofia, Fun and Flattering
Those already missing fashion month can take a peek behind the runway curtain with “Marc by Sofia,” the new A24 documentary in theaters this week.
In it, director Sofia Coppola turns the camera on her friend, New York designer Marc Jacobs, whom she has known since the early 1990s, and it’s that part of the film that will be most delightful to today’s Nineties nostalgics. (Jacobs showed his influential grunge collection for Perry Ellis in 1992, the same year Carolyn Bessette began dating John F. Kennedy Jr.)
It’s amazing to hear about his early convictions on fashion as self-expression rather than conformity, his stage looks for grunge heroes, Kim Gordon and Sonic Youth, and Coppola’s own foray into fashion producing Gordon’s guerrilla X-Girl runway shows with a young Chloë Sevigny modeling on the sidewalk in Soho. The whole creative downtown scene at that transformative time in fashion could be an entire, incredible film of its own.
All of a sudden, it was “all about Kate Moss in panties with some fairy lights,” Jacobs muses about the shift from 1980s extravagance to ’90s minimalism, as Herb Ritts images of the model flash across the screen. “The thing that scares people most is anything natural, which can’t be emulated,” he continues. It’s a great point and could be why that era of authentic naivete is resonating in this era of curated perfection.
There has always been a naivete to Jacobs’ designs, but as he matured, the shows got bigger and bigger, and theatricality took over. The film is framed by the 12-week lead-up to Jacobs’ Spring 2024 “paper doll” show with wild proportion play, oversized tailoring, wigs and sparkle, and a set of giant folding chairs and table by artist Robert Therrien.
In the studio, Coppola gives viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Jacobs’ “non-linear” approach to designing the collection, from the finer points between five and seven gauge knits to the just-right “mannequin leg” shade of hosiery.
She also dives into his diverse and fascinating creative influences, from Bob Fosse’s choreography and Rainer Werner Fassbinder films to Elizabeth Taylor’s jewels and the Supremes’ stage costumes. The show’s makeup was inspired by a diva closer to home, his own mother, whom Jacobs remembers using a fine-tooth comb to scrape fuzz off black velvet ribbons to mix into mascara and make her lashes look spidery.
There’s a lot of eye candy and several laughs in the film. There are no outside voices, though, so viewers are not really given context about what makes Jacobs one of the most important designers of his generation. Not only did he tap into youth culture in a genuine way, but as a runway showman at his own brand and at the helm of luxury powerhouse Louis Vuitton, he elevated the fashion show to the spectacle we know now, while ushering in the current era of attention-grabbing pop culture collaborations with his groundbreaking partnerships with Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince, Pharrell Williams and others.
What also makes Jacobs’ life story compelling, however, is his human struggle with overcoming addiction and succeeding in business up until and including at this very moment.
Despite his enduring influence, his brand has failed to scale in luxury, closed most of its stores, and largely stopped wholesaling its runway collection. Owner Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy has been exploring options for a sale for the last couple of years. Potential buyers include licensing group Authentic Brands, which has more of an affinity with the brand’s current identity as a purveyor of lower-priced Daisy fragrances and Heaven by Marc Jacobs baby tees, that play into his next-gen nostalgic appeal. None of that messy stuff is addressed, unfortunately, and if it had, the film would have been better for it.
Coppola also leaves obvious questions unanswered, like why Jacobs said he is happy to live with the misconception that the grunge collection (derided by critics at the time but revered later) got him fired from Perry Ellis. She never follows up to ask what really happened, too polite a friend, perhaps, to poke holes in the myth. (Perry Ellis was having business troubles of its own at the time, selling apparel.)
Someone else will have to make a film that’s a more realistic portrait of the designer, but this one is a fun, fizzy start.
“Marc by Sofia” is playing at select theaters starting March 26.
California Blooming
As Saks Global navigates bankruptcy, closing department stores around the country, rival Bloomingdale’s has been on a roll, reporting net sales up 8.5% during the fourth quarter.
What’s their secret? While generally considered more of a mid-level retailer, Bloomingdale’s has been taking market share by appealing to the all-important luxury consumer with new high-end in-store designer offerings and by entering the luxury clienteling game — something we’re more accustomed to seeing from mega brands like Dior and Louis Vuitton.
That was on full display last week when Bloomingdale’s brought some of its top New York customers to L.A. to enjoy a series of exclusive parties, fashion shows and designer events, further burnishing its reputation as a fashion player.
The occasion celebrated “California Love,” the retailer’s spring campaign featuring shop-in-shops at Century City and other locations, spotlighting exclusive fashion from Mother, Reformation, Lisa Says Gah, Aviator Nation, Agolde, Staud, The Great and many more beloved Golden State brands, alongside home goods from Flamingo Estate, Dumae, Lulu Powers and others.
The celebration kicked off with star power at a cocktail party held at the cool new Frame headquarters in Beverly Hills where Bloomingdale’s CEO Olivier Bron and chief merchant Denise Magid mingled over spicy margs and oysters with Matt Bomer, Sophia Bush, Zoey Deutch, Rainey Qualley, Frame co-founder Jens Grede, Favorite Daughter founders Erin and Sara Foster, designer Jonathan Simkhai and more.
Later in the week, VIC clients enjoyed a Vince fashion show around the pool at the Sheats-Goldstein Residence in Hollywood, and a visit to the new Bulgari flagship on Rodeo Drive.
L.A. designer Clare Vivier wrapped things up by hosting an intimate dinner party in the garden of her Glassell Park headquarters with a fun crowd including “Love Story” star Constance Zimmer, Ever Carradine, John C. Reilly, Lake Bell, “Shrinking” costume designer Allyson B. Fanger and more.
Guests arrived to a live performance from the band Paco Versailles, then made a beeline to a screen-printing station to make custom tees inspired by the “California Love” theme.
After the sun went down, we took our seats at a long table, where everyone had a monogrammed Clare V. pouch as a gift. Chef Josef Centeno served Mexican food as dinner conversation veered from the return of cigarette smoking (a gaggle partaking nearby was proof), to all of the special L.A. fashion collabs that have landed lately, including The Great x Stetson collection that launched just a couple weeks ago.
“This is one of Bloomingdale’s most important markets,” the retailer’s marketing head Kevin Harter said of the genesis of “California Love.” “Last year’s wildfires really emotionally affected the company and we wanted to give back. So we created this campaign in admiration for everything people here were going through, and worked with all these great designers like Clare, to create capsules.”
Vivier designed several special springtime-in-Cali pieces, including a Grande Fanny in tan rattan, a Sandy cotton rope bag in blush pink and a straw “Californie” L’été beach tote.
“Bloomingdale’s is such an icon for fashion department stores and an icon of New York City so it’s really lovely when we get recognized in Los Angeles,” Vivier said. “People often think of New York as the fashion capital, but L.A. is really shining right now.”
Staud Goes for Gold
Now, for a very different kind of L.A. fashion collaboration.
American Express is marking the 60th anniversary of its Gold Card by partnering with Sarah Staudinger’s brand Staud on a capsule collection that will take you everywhere the card does.
The eight-piece resort-ready range, priced from $145 to $595 on the Staud website and in stores, includes a special beaded Timmy bag and miniskirt in a travel-inspired patchwork marking destinations from a curated hotel program offered to Gold Card members. Cheeky graphic tees, jackets and shorts are emblazoned with “Members Since ’66,” honoring the card’s anniversary. There’s also a golden gown, naturally, which is worn by Laura Harrier in the campaign imagery.
American Express Gold Card has a long history of collaborating with fashion designers on buzzy capsules, from Jeremy Scott to Luar. But let’s be real, everyone knows Staudinger is a Centurion girl!
Beauty Euphoria Takes DTLA
You wouldn’t know there is a beauty industry slowdown (not to mention skyrocketing gas prices) from the scene at Sephoria last weekend. Thousands of beauty lovers bought tickets up to $465 and flocked to The Reef in downtown L.A. for the latest edition of the consumer event. And if you want to see their hauls, just do a quick search on social media.
More than 65 brands activated at the fan frenzy, which attracts an influential enough crowd (not to mention their followers) that brands often use it to debut new products.
Lines snaked around booths offering product giveaways ranging from Tamagotchis, tote bags and stickers, to setting sprays, lipglosses and fragrance samples from Summer Fridays, Rare Beauty, Kiehl’s, Sincerely Yours, Salt & Stone, Tatcha, Olaplex, Cyklar and more. There was also a serious swag bag, of course.
Glossier launched its new You Soie Eau de Parfum inside an Instagrammable pod, while Topicals invited guests to throw their best punch in a boxing game to win its new Faded Dark Spot Patches, and Shark Beauty gave demonstrations of the Shark SilkiPro Straight Wet to Dry Straightener + Rapid Blow Dryer.
Alex Cooper stopped by to announce a new partnership with Sephora on a glam studio for her Unwell podcast network, called “Big Al’s Sephora Beauty Bar.” And beauty founders including Issa Rae, Jen Atkin, Chris Appleton, Patrick Starrr, Danessa Myricks, Shani Darden and Dr. Dennis Gross shared wisdom during fireside chats and master classes.
Pat McGrath, the influential makeup artist behind Taylor Swift’s famous red lip and John Galliano’s epic glass skin, was a marquee attraction. Her company Pat McGrath Labs, once valued at $1 billion, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January (it’s not easy out there, folks), but you wouldn’t have known it from her chipper demeanor during her Master Class, where she demonstrated beauty looks she and her team created for the Fall 2026 runway shows that just wrapped in Paris.
One was a new take on no-makeup makeup she calls “Refined Radiance,” with a windswept glow, highlighted cheeks and balmy lips a la the “aliengelic luminosity” seen at Schiaparelli, using Pat McGrath Labs Divine Skin Rose Hydrating Essence, Divine Cream Blush balm and more.
Another was “Smokey Eyes: Soft to Smoldering,” using her Permagel Eye Pencils and Mothership Eyeshadow palettes to create the softly sinister black winged eyes seen at Khaite, as well as the more intense and graphic eyes seen at Saint Laurent.
The last was “Modern Lip Noir,” the return of the sculpted, contoured lip of Miss Swift, also seen on the runway at Khaite, Lanvin and Saint Laurent, using McGrath’s just-dropped Lip Sculpt Contour Duo in the Elson and Elson Extreme shades.
McGrath is so talented, and it’s always a pleasure to see her at work. Let’s hope for her brand’s sake that the Lipstick Index theory about more shopping for small indulgences during down times is real.
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