Sweater
This hand-knit sweater by Marc Jacobs dates from his student years (ca. 1984) at Parsons The New School for Design, before his first professional venture in 1986. The all-over polka dot pattern shows some similarity to the ‘Smile’ sweater (2009.80), which features the yellow smiley often patched onto garments by 1980s club kids and ravers.
Jacobs’ allegiance to subcultural dress codes can also be traced through the genealogy of the oversized, seemingly hand-knit deconstructed sweater introduced by Rei Kawakubo in 1982 as an antidote to 1980s power fashion. The genealogy of Kawakubo’s ‘Lace Sweater’ with holes goes back to hand-knitted punk sweaters as sold by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in the late 1970s.
This early sweater is both a nod to subcultural codes from the past as well as a precursor to Jacobs’ later grunge collection for Perry Ellis, which had a thriftshop aesthetic and led to his dismissal from the house as well as to international recognition and the launch of his independent label.
Jacobs’ allegiance to subcultural dress codes can also be traced through the genealogy of the oversized, seemingly hand-knit deconstructed sweater introduced by Rei Kawakubo in 1982 as an antidote to 1980s power fashion. The genealogy of Kawakubo’s ‘Lace Sweater’ with holes goes back to hand-knitted punk sweaters as sold by Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren in the late 1970s.
This early sweater is both a nod to subcultural codes from the past as well as a precursor to Jacobs’ later grunge collection for Perry Ellis, which had a thriftshop aesthetic and led to his dismissal from the house as well as to international recognition and the launch of his independent label.
Artwork Details
- Title: Sweater
- Designer: Marc Jacobs (American, founded 1984)
- Retailer: Charivari (American, 1967–1998)
- Date: ca. 1984
- Culture: American
- Medium: wool
- Credit Line: Gift of Angie La Fontaine, 2014
- Object Number: 2014.534.1
- Curatorial Department: The Costume Institute
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.