Ryan O'Connell is the Executive Editor at Thought Catalog. He likes clothes, boys, and feminism.
Remember when Marc Jacobs was more geek than chic? Remember when he used to do a lot of coke and create innovative colorful clothing? Um, I do. I miss that Marc. I don’t care for him as this weird Chelsea gym bunny who makes key chains for Japanese tourists.
This cardigan is representative of the old Marc. It has ingenuity, style, and the right amount of kookiness. It’s from the glory days—his fall ’05 line— and it was the first fancy thing I ever purchased. I was a freshman in college at the time trying to figure out my aesthetic. Dyeing my hair weird colors, purchasing ironic Screen Tees from Suburban Outfitters, and wearing mismatched Puma shoes wasn’t going to cut it anymore. I was in college now! When I first heard of Marc Jacobs, it was 2004 and I was still in high school. Back then, Marc Jacobs wasn’t MARC JACOBS. He didn’t have stores in every major city, own all of Bleecker Street, and end up in the tabloids. He was just this frumpy designer who was making quirky ready-to-wear clothing. When I finally paid a visit to his store in Los Angeles, I was blown away by his clever prints, rich color, and interesting fabrics. I spotted the cardigan from a mile away (hello, it has silver!), and was like, “This is me. This is my style. This is how I want to dress from now on.” It was so eye-catching and bold. In college all I wanted to do was stand out in a crowd, and Marc by Marc helped me achieve that goal. Not to be completely cheesy but after purchasing the cardigan, his clothes helped me form a personal style and appreciate fashion for the first time.
Today I rarely shop at Marc by Marc because my personal style has matured a bit. I like wearing lots of black and stick mostly to refined basics. Think A.PC. with a hint of gothic princess. No matter how much my style changes though, I will always make room for this cardigan. It symbolizes the beginning of my expensive love affair with clothes. The cherry on the cake would be if it became a collector’s item one day. Not like I would ever sell it. It would just make me feel special knowing that I own something that’s collectable.