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In 1992, Marc Jacobs designed a grunge collection for Perry Ellis that was skewered by the press, lost him his job, and prompted him to launch his own line that would eventually pull in annual sales of $1 billion. Venerated fashion critic Cathy Horyn was among the press who gave negative reviews at that fateful show. Today, she's decided to retract her opinion:
More than 20 years on, I find myself questioning my own reaction to the show, the violet-scented peevishness of my tone. Writing in the Washington Post, I complained about its "lack of credibility" while tutting, "Rarely has slovenliness looked so self-conscious, or commanded so high a price." I ignored, if I even considered, the charm and sweetness of the attitude — an attitude, by the way, which I happily embraced in my own brand of slob appeal.
When Horyn asked Jacobs about the collection, he said that it still remains his favorite show to date. "It was the most liberating," Jacobs told Horyn. "And I know this can sound really corny and falsely humble, but when I trust my own instincts and when I'm actually into something—it doesn't mean people will like it or we'll sell it—I will sleep better at night."