July 7, 2005

Fishing for summery, romantic icons for his latest menswear collection for Vuitton, Marc Jacobs summoned up Christopher Atkins in The Blue Lagoon and William Hurt in Body Heat. Which just goes to show that designers' insights aren't always particularly logical. There isn't much that Atkins and Hurt share, apart from being beautiful, blond, and American. But maybe that's what Jacobs was driving at. The show had a sunny, sexy momentum that evoked gilded hard bodies kicking back at the beach. And they were wearing short shorts, usually in silk for added cling. When paired with a matching branded blouson, they looked athletic. But a gray, striped, silk shirt-'n'-shorts combo felt more like a cabana outfit for George Cukor's most private pool parties.

Poolside wear also cropped up in lounging pajamas in a tropical print. Rather more versatile were the white jeans, which looked prepped for a high-styled summer with a checked silk shirt or a navy safari jacket and buckled loafers. The crease pressed into denims (which were worn under a silk trench with gold-buttoned epaulets) momentarily suggested a slightly older Vuitton man, but that impression was rapidly sidelined by more—what else?—shorts. After the show, an uncharacteristically tailored Jacobs initially scoffed at the notion that he'd be baring his legs next summer. "But," he added, "I said I'd never wear a suit, and look at me."

— Tim Blanks