Just when we all thought that Marc Jacobs couldn’t possibly find something new to do with the Stam, we all get proven wrong. Let’s look back for a moment: we’ve seen Stams in python, jersey, patent, Swarovski crystals, leather both flat and quilted, and ostrich. We’ve seen both gold 80s chains and demure silver box chains. Baby Stams, big Stams, hobo Stams and east/west Stams. Crap, at this point, there might as well be green eggs and Stams.
And now we’ve seen it all, because we’ve seen the Marc Jacobs Safety Pin Stam. I’m a bit biased since I do own one of the original black quilted bags, admittedly, and I’m forever an MJ apologist…but this makes even me want to say “ENOUGH ALREADY.” I don’t even think it’s a bad bag. I kind of like the idea of safety pins, since I was one of those punk kids in high school that pinned band patches to her floppy corduroy bag. It brings me back a little bit, and I love nothing more than a punk or industrial reference. And we’ve got some interesting and subtle patching going on here, and a cool, different chain. But ENOUGH. Give it a rest, Marc. Maybe just stick to the original for a season or two. Because we get it. Stams are awesome. But if you keep making new ones, eventually some poor, misguided soul is going to be buying a Stam made of lint and old chewing gum. Buy through Nordstrom for $1375.
OMG. I must have this bag. LOVE it.
I think it is kinda cool.
I like it, and I’ve never been a stam fam.
i love this! options are always good, no? did you see the cobalt blue one? awesome!
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/3030081/0~2376780~6021632~6007258~6007261?mediumthumbnail=Y&origin=category&searchtype=&pbo=6007261&P=1
mj still produces the original quilted stam. wait until you see all the other versions coming out for fall though. talk about stam overload. i love it. i just can’t get sick of this bag.
Sorry Amanda…I love it!
green eggs and stam? good one! your phrase, not the purse. very not the purse/g
The thing is, I actually like the bag! I just feel a tad Stammed-out, ya know?
Like the purse; not the safety pins. Unless you plan on using it as a diaper bag, then the pins may come in handy.
I agree that we’ve been stammed to death, though.
No Amanda this bag is HAWT!
I love this bag so much…it is killing me. I need it. I haven’t been lusting after a bag like this in a long time. Sorry, I cannot get sick of the Stam. Not ever.
sorry. amanda. i love marc. and even if i didn’t love his crazy work, this bag would definitely make me a convert. for sure, this one is uncannily cool. soooo unexpected.
borderline genius, that man.
I just don’t see what everyone else sees, I think this bag is ugly, and unoriginal!
Love it! Love the leather, love the chain, love the lighter-colored trim with the zig-zag stitching and yes, love the pins! The man IS a g-e-n-i-u-s.
I don’t have any Stams (yet!) but this is freakin’ AWESOME! hot hot hot!!
I have an original stam and I actually like this. It’s just cool.
I actually like it better than the quilted Stam – that always seemed stilted and formal to me. I love this one. But then I am always in casual dress (a la jeans…)
i think it is ugly…not creative at all….
Ah im totally stammed out. Talk about milking it till the last drop. Yawn Marc yawn yawn.
of course he’s milking it. all designers do this. as long as it’s still making money, why stop producing it? chanel does this with the flap, fendi does it with the spy (albeit with more hideous incarnations), and i could go on. every brand has their signature bag. the stam is obviously marc’s.
I love this, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I think it’ a really fun new version of the stam. The smooth folded leather, the contrast trim with zigzag top stitching, THOSE PINS! Eekk! Love!
tadpolenyc – Chanel established in 1909, Fendi established in 1925…I think Marc Jacobs is a little to fresh to run a bag for 2 years. Its not innovative.
merve, that may be so, but the spy is a recent design.
and what does years of establishment have anything to do with this? the marc jacobs label has been in existence since 1986, but because both chanel and fendi have been around longer, they can get away with more? we ought to lower our expectations for them? innovation is out of the equation for lanvin, balenciaga, dior, et al.? does this mean i should excuse marc’s hideous designs for lv since they were founded in 1854? i don’t think so.
what about rebecca minkoff? morning after bag.
kooba? blake.
botkier? trigger.
gryson? olivia.
miu miu? coffer/bow bag.
those are all relatively new designers/brands lucky and talented enough to have designed a bag that’s amassed a huge following. each company keeps producing it because not only has that particular style become their respective signatures, but because the public loves it. it’s not always about innovation (and i can easily argue that marc’s been an innovator). there’s nothing wrong with giving the people want they want… and maintaining your profit margins.
For the record, I’m all for a designer milking a good design, and I think that the Stam is a good design. But I’ve got Stam ennui at the moment (and Spy ennui, for that matter). I’m an MJ fangirl, though, so let’s face it – it’ll pass!
I think the bag is totally cool!! Love the details…I think the bag is a classic and why do away with a classic that people love?
I love this bag…./
I want to ask what you girls think about this bag that I’m almost buying from this site: http:http://justbags.wordpress.com/2009/05/15/now-you-can-buy-the-bags-direct-on-my-blog/
LOVE it!!! I think that the Stam is fantastic and would love to own one…haven’t always liked all of the iterations of the Stam but this one is gorgeous (my other fave: the original quilted). I totally agree with tadpole on this one.
Of course houses that have been around for longer get away with more. I mean did u ever hear of the Michael Kors or Marc Jacobs bicycle? I didnt think so. We live in a era that even a toothbrush is being labeled iconic and i just believe that certain labels have the recognition to be able to reproduce their iconic bags like Chanel with the flap. As far as Fendi is concerned I do think that the spy is also way overdone. Plus i never insinuated that you should buy a bag just because its LV circa 1854. I dont know where you got that from. U said MJ’s designs for LV are hideous i just agree with you.
i never mentioned anything about anyone buying a louis vuitton bag. i’m not sure where you got that from. i also don’t recall making a blanket statement about all of mj’s designs for lv being hideous. there are a few that i do like (mahina and the watercolor monogram immediately comes to mind).
my point was that however long a label has been in existence should be irrelevant since there exists no set standard measuring how acceptable it is for any company to replicate a design based on the sole factor of longevity. new companies have been doing it with great success, and i don’t believe they’re less innovative for adopting a prudent business model. they’re simply capitalizing on a popular design to ensure their company flourishes long enough to guarantee them the chance to be innovative in the future.
that’s not to say that resting on one’s laurels is ever a good idea, but if you’ve kept abreast on any of mj’s other handbag designs each season, many of which do not resemble the stam in any way, shape, or form, you’d see the man has many fresh ideas left in him still.
You and I are approaching this from totally different spectrums. I as a consumer expect a new bag to gush about per season by a relatively new designer (which i rarely ever do with MJ) however I am more understanding of established houses recreating their iconic style like the flap. You are arguing whether it makes sound business sense to reproduce the stam. I dont care about that. If i did i would go through their financial results or sales strategy and check out their profit margins. Im a stockbroker i know how it works.
but you’re just one type of consumer. there are many, many others who find one bag that perfectly fits the bill and buys it in as many colors and variations the company can produce. visit each designer subforum. you will see women with multiple flaps, spies, muses, mahalas, paddingtons, and stams. they’re still excited about each release, each new season. what’s wrong with that? sound business practice was my main point, but it wasn’t my only one.
if you’re constantly looking for new, fresh, original then i don’t see how you aren’t bored to tears already. truly innovative bags are not all that common. almost all “new” styles are a variation of something that’s been done before if not by that particular company then by somebody else.
So let me get this straight…if Marc were to wait thirty years and THEN reproduce the stam, would that be acceptable? I’m just trying to figure out the formula here. Should a bag only produced for a season and then referenced again once the designer is “established” enough? I’m confused. Can any relatively new designer hope to create a classic, iconic bag, or is that an impossibility since Chanel has already done so? That seems like a pretty narrow view of fashion in my humble opinion.
The stam is Marc’s signature bag. I think the fact that he’s innovative enough and brave enough to step outside the box with newer, fresher variations every season speaks to his skill as a designer. Besides, every season he comes up with plenty of non-stam bags that are entirely new and original, so if one wasn’t a stam fan there would still be a wide variety of others bags to choose from. I highly recommend that anyone looking to judge a designer with blanket statements at least check out the full line of bags available before doing so. Obviously not everyone is going to be a fan, but at least then we can read some fully informed opinions: http://www.marcjacobs.com/#folder=/marcjacobscollection/women/fallwinter09/bags
Tadpolenyc – of course im not bored to tears!!!! With the Castros, Gonzalezs, Celestinas, Scotts of this world how can one get bored? I always express my opinion about MJ, its not easily changeable as hard as you might try. MJ does not have the credibility to make the millionth stam wash with ME. Simple as that. Maybe there are women who buy 10 stams in many colours. I personally do not see why. But i bet you for every one of those women you find there will be 10 saying that they are bored with it.
Adding two cheap safety pins does not make “stam” innovative. It makes it ridiculous! And im fed up with the overrated Mr Marc Jacobs who passes the LV trash bags for art. Every season the LV bags are getting uglier, with the patchwork bag being on the top of the most ugly and ridiculously overpriced bags! Does he think we are fools? I used to carry a LV bag 13 years ago…Not anymore…The label has stopped being relevant years ago…
YSL has been innovative with the “Muse”, in different shapes, colours and qualities, yet I would not buy another one. Why stick to the same thing when there are so many new fabulous bags around. I totally agree with Merve…Buy the “stam” in different colours? Booooring…..
illfashion, no one said the safety pins were innovative. have you been paying attention at all?
don’t let your personal opinions get in the way of reality. you might not like lv bags, but they are hardly irrelevant. i do not prefer coach, but it would be a foolish thing for me to dismiss them as irrelevant since both lv and coach are the two most active and popular subforums on tpf. that says something whether you like it or not.
stefano pilati is doing the exact same thing with the muse as mj has done with the stam. hardly innovative. the muse II is a fresher design, but the shape is that of an old school briefcase or book bag when it comes down to it, so it’s not really all that original or innovative, but it is beautiful, so i’ll give you that.
merve, that’s quite the statistic you just conjured out of nowhere. once you can set up an actual study where you’re able to measure that, i’ll take you up on that bet. and how you feel about mj is the exact same way i feel about nancy gonzalez. i’ve seen her produce the same boring basic styles in a million different colors. it’s funny how our line of thinking has a common link amongst our very divergent viewpoints.
Its not a statistic its a bet. If it was a statistic it would be proven. You have to understand that the sweeping statements made are personal opinions, they do not reflect reality. In reality the LV print has been linked with chavs in the UK (footballers wives type) and so had the burberry check until they managed to create some fabulous designs that LV has not yet managed to do so its still chavy. I have to say LV has become irrelevant to me as well of late. LV and Coach being the most active subforums means nothing to me. Im sure Castro is not however i find her fabulous. Its just our differing viewpoints. I get baffled how you can defend MJ with blind faith and you dont get why I think Gonzalez is lush. So be it. I have never gone for en masse adoration for any designer. Im critical and more alternative. I dont want to carry a bag that I will see fakes of within a matter of minutes…i’ll stick to the gonzalez
I think that LV is irrelevant because of the obssesion with the LV Logo. Logomania was over 10 years ago…LV still pushing the same staff in uglier versions over the years. I havent seen anything new other than the LV monogram is various versions: Flowers and the Logo, Animals and the Logo, crazy colours and the logo all over the bag…
I dont want my bag to “scream” designer, that’s all…I prefer beautiful, more discreet designs…YSL is a nice example…
The range of emotions that Marc Jacobs designs seem to elicit here continue to amaze me. Illfashion, you are “fed up”? If you dislike his designs so much just ignore them. And Merve, if you are board with the stam, then be board with it and ignore it. And the credibility comment? What does MJ’s credibility have to do with anything? If designers played it safe and “Waited” to establish credibility the world of fashion would be a drab one indeed. That sounds like a rule that was meant to be broken.
If I commented on every bag I thought was hideous, a waste of money, or boring, I would have no time to focus on the designs I do love and appreciate. I know everyone has(and is entitled to) different opinions and tastes, but what is the point of getting worked up over a designer you so obviously dislike? Is not like you are going to change the minds of those who have already fallen under the spell of the stam or of MJ himself.
Oh, and Illfashion, I’m pretty sure the safety pins are not even remotely “cheap”.
merve, how do you not understand it? you just explained it so yourself: it’s our differing opinions. i like mj, you don’t. you like nancy gonzalez, i don’t. you think mj is boring, i think he’s irreverent. i think nancy gonzalez is boring, you think she’s lux. you may be critical, but you are not alternative. nancy gonzalez is one of the most classic designers i can think of.
it’s difficult to have a debate when people are willfully misunderstanding you to validate their own points. even if lv is “chavvy,” so what? that doesn’t make them irrelevant. fine, they’re irrelevant to YOU, but i wasn’t really discussing our personal preferences, was i?
you’re also mistaken if you think i defend him in blind faith. i’ve admitted to disliking his designs before for both lv and his eponymous line. i don’t love everything he does, but i do very much respect him as a designer. it is you who can’t see past your own propensity to dislike pretty much everything he does.
i love this bag! another great variation of the stam and it works.
Im curious as to how come you seem to know me so well as to be able to say im not alternative and that i dislike everything from MJ. I may make comments about designers but i just stick to that. I dont think u should be making comments about me when you dont know me. Lets keep it clean.
it’s allright. i’d rock it. it would probably be the type of bag that would grow on me after a while.
I have seen these bags in person and I must say the leather is TDF! The bag actually melts into a puddle of leather if not stuffed! Do I like the safety pins? Not particularly on this bag, but not for the reason that most would think — I think they’re too small and not ornamented enough. The smaller pieces have larger pins w/stones threaded to them making them the main point of the bag, while on the stams, the pins are smaller in proportion to the bag w/no stones.
I am also the owner of multiple stams. It’s my favorite MJ style. I’ve owned many variations as well (quilted calf, quilted goat, pleated, soft) and have plans to add more to my collection once the fall bags come out.
Obviously the stam is doing well for MJ. The bag continues to sell out season after season. A perfect example of the demand for this bag: the stam in certain colors sold out this season long before many of the Ltd Ed/Runway bags did released during the same season. That says a lot about the design that it continues to be a best seller above new releases and innovative new styles.
I see the stam as MJ’s “flap bag” or “Motorcycle/Le Dix” or “Speedy” No one complained when the Stella and Venetia were made season after season with NO design change at all, yet people complain about the stam. Why is this?