If Monday night’s Marc Jacobs runway can be likened to an asylum, then Tuesday’s Marc x Marc catwalk was a prep school. A 1972 prep school. It was all very Love Story, but not just Ali McGraw’s character. Ryan O’Neil was in there too, as was the bookish, quirky girl who mightn’t have actually existed in the screenplay, but was most definitely admiring the football hero from afar.

My favorite looks for the ladies were the suits, which are available in a variety of fabrics, from corduroy to velvet to tweed. A menswear inspired tweed overcoat also struck my fancy, as did a blouse with a mini capelet draping the shoulders. (That silhouette has been everywhere this season–and I love it.)

But of course the clothes were great–is Marc by Marc ever not on point?

What I really couldn’t stop thinking about was the brand itself, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.

Marc by Marc did something in 2001 that no other bridge line did before: Sold cool clothes to those who couldn’t afford designer dresses. When I was in high school in the late ’90s, we didn’t have Marc by Marc. My prom dress choices were Betsey Johnson, vintage, Tocca, and Jessica McClintock. (I might be exaggerating a teensy bit, but you get the point.) I remember the first Marc by Marc thing I bought. It was a little pear pin–I still have it!–and I would wear it as often as possible to my internship. It was my signature that summer.

If it wasn’t for Marc by Marc, there wouldn’t be a Rag & Bone, or Rachel Comey, or Acne. At least not at such a doable price point. Jacobs and Robert Duffy made it okay for “cool” designers to be accessible, too, and they’ve further proved that with the Bleeker Street tchotchke collection of $3 lipstick pens and $10 charms.

So yes, the clothes were grand at the Marc by Marc show, but we should be recognizing him for more than a good collection. We should thank him for improving the overall quality of our wardrobes.

**Photos by Imaxtree.

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