Loren: Come on, you know the song

He was a boy 

She was a girl 

Can I make it any more obvious 

He was a punk 

She did ballet 

What more can I say 

He wanted her 

She'd never tell secretly she wanted him as well 

But all of her friends

Stuck up their nose 

They had a problem with his baggy clothes 

He was a skater boy 

She said see you later boy 

He wasn't good enough for her

She had a pretty face 

But her head was up in space 

She needed to come back down to earth 

- Skater Boy, Avril Lavigne 

Yeah, I know. But the song started bleeping in my head as soon as I saw this:

Originally, I thought that someone was having a lark. Bought a fake LV suitcase from a little alley in Chinatown, dipped their foundation brush into a pot of pink paint and decided to 'customize' their LV.  But as it turns out, this skateboard is also part of the Marc Jacobs tribute to Steven Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton due to hit stores on the 15th of January. The skateboard may be a backwards-cap, gum chewing, zits popping, underwear showing teenager's street vehicle, but it definitely will not be a common sight everywhere, it being a limited edition to be sold only from the New York SoHo store, and, oh yes, the little price tag of $8, 250. It does come with a hard case monogram trunk (just in case you have to sell your home to get the money, at least you have a suitcase to lug your wardrobe around with you.) and to sweeten the deal, proceeds will benefit Free Arts NYC. Is it all proceeds, or just one wheel's worth of proceeds?

Granted, I am not an LV fan, though Tilly is, and I forgive her for that out of the generosity of my shrivelled heart. But honestly, would you pay $8, 250 for a skateboard that you (hopefully) won't skate on?  For that price, you can get both of these Balmain jackets,

(Browns Fashion)

and this RM by Roland Mouret dress,

with money leftover for thirty eight happy meals. That's a lot of happy in one sitting. I would love to walk up to the person who buys that skateboard, give him/her a once over, and then proceed to scrawl, "GOOD BUY, DUMBASS." across their forehead with a pink felt marker. Unless they were die hard, sacrifice a chicken in front of a voodoo alter fans of either Marc Jacob or Stephen Sprouse. If so, I'd just shorten the message to "DUMBASS." instead. Consumerism, it staggers and befuddles the mind, yet its all as normal as...pooping out an extravagant lobster dinner.

On other news, here's a sneak preview of the Spring/Summer 2009 Marc Jacobs campaign ad, photographed by Jeurgen Teller, model Raquel Zimmermann.

Looks typically Jergen-esque for Marc Jacobs, realistic lighting and slightly awkward postures, always a bit tongue in cheek. (Remember those Victoria Beckham ads?) I think that she's in an apple orchard, umm, picking apples to stuff into her Marc Jacobs bag and into the pocket of her skirt, although with the chair and her body posture, she could just as well be getting ready to hang herself from one of the trees. 

If so, that would amuse me. Fashion and suicide? It wouldn't be new, but a chilly change and in keeping with the current gloominess in the world.