Aries Fashion Idol: Marc Jacobs
April 9, 1963 New York, NY noon* (time unknown)
Marc Jacobs is perhaps the most influential designer of his generation. As the grunge era replaced the gauche power dressing and over-exposure of the 1980s, Marc Jacobs rose easily through the fashion ranks by celebrating a more modest, casual, ‘slouchy chic’ that better describes the ethos of the young (and rich) creative class. This was a revelation in fashion and one that has stuck. It wasn’t deliberately dirty and androgynous like some of the 1990s attempts to overthrow exuberant eurotrash, but simply more wearable, more understated and definitely more cool.
Aries like Marc are trend-setters. Being the first sign of the zodiac, amongst the ranks of Arians are many people who have been ‘firsts’ in their field and whose contributions have ushered in a new era. The Marc Jacobs era in fashion has been alive and well now for nearly two decades, at least since he won the coveted CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award in 1992.
Aries are an active sign and they prize comfort and wearability in their designs. Unlike the Pisces designer who sees his work as a piece of art, the Aries imagines the active life of his garments. And a Marc Jacobs piece is perfect for it’s customers; it can transition from work at the art gallery to late dinners and lounging and with ease. Marc is of course also the creative director of Louis Vuitton. Since taking the helm there in 1997 he has quadroupled the esteemed design houses profits with his creative collaborations with artists such as Takashi Murakami. And his clothes for that line as also perfectly wearable for their jet set clientele.
One of his chief weapons has always been his Juergen Teller advertising campaigns. Choosing the unexpected cultural icon at every turn, Aries Marc always keeps ahead of the curve. Recently, he has been making waves with Annie Liebowitz pictures of aging stars of every variety in hotel rooms posed candidly next to their Louis Vuitton luggage. But it was his 1990s campaigns with unconventional beauty Taurus Sofia Coppola that were perhaps the most revolutionary and memorable. Coppola was something of a muse to Jacobs then.
Indeed the Taurus energy has, or had, been a strong part of the Marc Jacobs vibe. Taurus is an earth sign and they prize value, luxury, and quality in their life and in their clothes, but in a subtle, classic even conservative way. Very much like the Marc Jacobs style. Few logos could be more unabashadley expensive than the Louis Vuitton luggage symbol but it is always juxtaposed with the ‘I don’t care’ Aries attitude.
Indeed Jacobs progressed sun has been in the sign of Taurus from the time he was about 11 years old until mid- 2005 [If you are not familiar with astrological progression please refer to my post entitled "Progressions"]. As an Aries, he is impulsive and active but with his progressed sun in Taurus for most of his adult life, he also felt compelled to produce material results (Taurus) and to slowly but surely work towards long term goals. He was interested in creating things and building a solid support system and lifestyle for himself.
In 2005 his progressed sun moved from Taurus into Gemini. This is around the time that a great transformation happened in his life personally and creatively. In many ways this was a transition back to the Aries parts of himself. Gemini energy is also impulsive, curious and restless like the Aries energy. Rather than working tirelessly and diligently behind the scenes (Taurus) he has busted out of his shell and became, on the surface, a whole new man. He has been able to overthrow his Taurean sense of duty and go back to his hedonistic and impulsive Arian ways. He recently told a reporter that ”Whatever makes me feel good, I want more of. If work is going well, I want to do more clothes. If the gym thing is working for me, I want to be bigger. If getting my hair cut makes me look younger, I want to play with the color. ”
Once a poster boy for the slouchy but sophisticated style he eposes donning large glasses and comfy sweaters, he is now sleek and buff, with a new passion for fitness and his much younger sometimes boyfriend. Many fashion insiders have been scratching their heads and have termed this his ‘mid-life crisis’, but it is just his astrological progression, a very natural moving from one phase of his life to another. And it has just begun. One of his best out-of-the-box ideas he has had since the ingress from Taurus to Gemini has been to have professional astrologers Starsky and Cox, authors of the astrological bestseller “Sextrology”, do readings from the windows of his flagship storefront in New York. Brilliant.
Interestingly, one of the things that helped usher in this monumental progression was transit Uranus, the planet of disruption and unexpected events, moving over his natal Venus in Pisces for the past few years. As the planet of art and beauty, Venus is very important in the charts of artists and designers. This has definitely been throwing him some curve balls in terms of redefining his artistic values, ideals and aesthetic, as well as mixing things up, big time, in his love life. His moon sign is either Libra or Scorpio, depending on what time of day he was born, but this would have been affecting him even more strongly if his moon sign is Libra, which is ruled by Venus.
With the Taurus era of his life over, it is likely that the clothes he designs will also transition away from the look he has become famous for and towards a more whimsical, colorful and accessory-heavy style, being influenced now by the Gemini energy. Evidence of the shift was already strong in his Spring 2008 collection where a main theme was duality, with dresses split down the middle uniting two prints. Gemini, is of course, the sign of duality and the twins. One thing is certain though, with his progressed sun having just moved into the sign of the twins, where it will stay for 30 years, Jacobs is feeling more liberated than ever and the new Jacobs will continue to keep everyone guessing, with fresh scandals and more unexpected choices for a long time to come.
