A nice fashion sense for Marc Jacobs.
There’s always the fashion police and fashion critics in the world of clothing. They can criticize you for how you wear clothes with mismatching colors or how a certain shirt or dress looks on a person. And there are always comments like that on the red carpet premieres at the Golden Globes or Oscars. And the negative comments can be hilarious the way a person says it or how bad somebody dresses.
I may know how good or how bad a person looks in certain clothing, but I’m no fashion critic. I’m a film critic, but I can sense the fashion sense inside Marc Jacobs. And Sofia Coppola directs and interviews him in the doc “Marc by Sofia,” which takes place before and during his Spring 2024 fashion show. It was the show in which women had big hair styles and extra long eyelashes-looking almost like Barbie dolls and walking under giant folding tables and chairs. Some of them wore thick coats and dresses that looked like walking disco balls, and some wore shorts that look like they’re wearing cartoon boxes.
“Marc by Sofia” isn’t really much about his family life, but it’s interested in his personality, his fashion sense and his clothing, and the couldn’t be more elaborate or exuberant. For clothing experts and fans, it’s the kind of film in which you want to get to know more of the fashion designer. And that qualifies it as a good documentary on him.
Some of his designs are inspired by Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry and especially Andy Warhol’s quote: “It would be glamorous to be reincarnated as a great big ring on Liz Taylor’s finger.” And they are pretty fashionable and shiny.
Sofia met Marc on a New York trip when she wanted to see the Perry Ellis collection that he was working on, and they immediately bonded based on their similar interests. And seeing them together on screen during the interview process is more well-acted than how Coppola bombed in “The Godfather: Part III.” She made it clear that she is a better filmmaker than an actress, and here, she wants to help tell Jacobs’ story.
There is a moment in the film that acknowledges about his emotions regarding his family life, but that isn’t really explored. It’s not like “Crumb,” when we see what made the cartoonist Robert Crumb a person with drawings as escapism from his hard family life. But I suppose “Marc by Sofia” is more about his fashion style and gay personality, which isn’t overexposed but filled with passion. And he elevates his personality into the clothes he designs.
To be honest with you, I’ve never heard of Jacobs before, but I admire how the archival footage and clips and the Spring 2024 show allowed me to see his style and creativity. And I still think the women looked like Barbie dolls with cartoonish outfits. And the box shorts or whatever they are reminds me of a 2009 Burger King ad where the women had SpongeBob SquarePants pants, and as controversial as that was, the reminder is kind of fun.
I’m so glad I’m not part of the fashion police.
In Select Theaters This Friday
Expands Next Week