As part of Vogue’s Forces of Fashion virtual summit today, international editor at large Hamish Bowles invited designer Marc Jacobs over to dive into his personal archive of vintage clothing. Bowles’s impressive collection includes thousands of archival pieces by Balenciaga, Dior, Valentino, and more. “I’ve been collecting fashion since I was a little boy,” says Bowles. “I started when I was five or six.” For Jacobs, looking at the works of other leading designers never fails to ignite his own creativity. “I love fashion, so looking at these representations of fashion throughout the periods is always inspiring,” he says.
The two fashion enthusiasts began by taking in a completely embroidered Coco Chanel dress from 1926. “Vogue liked it so much they shot it from the front in one issue, and from the back in a subsequent issue,” Bowles tells Jacobs of the dazzling frock. Then, it was on to some of Bowles’s favorite classic little black dresses, including a one-shouldered Cristobal Balenciaga dress from 1965, and a scoop-neck, ruffle-sleeve style by Yohji Yamamoto style from 1990. “He’s so good with a black dress,” Jacobs says of Yamamoto.
