Marc Jacobs President Allegedly Forced Employee To Pole Dance

By Jenna Sauers  |  March 31, 2011 | 4:25pm
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Robert Duffy, Marc Jacobs‘ business partner of more than 25 years, has been sued by a former executive at the company who says that Duffy created a hostile and discriminatory work environment by directing subordinates to join him in watching porn on company time and “produc[ing] and disseminat[ing] a book that included photos of Marc Jacobs International staff in sexual positions or nude.” The former executive, Patrice Lataillade, joined the company in 1996, rose to the position of Chief Operating Officer, and was fired in September of 2010. The lawsuit also alleges that Duffy “uses company funds for personal expenses and does not censor what he does or says.” Lataillade also says that Duffy forced a Marc Jacobs employee to perform a pole dance. Marc Jacobs International and its parent company Louis Vuitton Moêt Hennessy are also named in the suit; they say the allegations are false, and that Lataillade was fired for unrelated misconduct. In February, Duffy — then a prolific Tweeter — posted pics of a nude man at the company’s employees-only fashion week after-party. The suit says other employees occasionally complained about Duffy’s conduct but the company’s response was lacking: a woman was told she needed a “thicker skin” and a man was told by Duffy to “go home early and have a drink.” (Are we remiss in wishing our boss would — skipping the [alleged] creepy-sexy part, of course — occasionally tell us to go home and have a drink? Jessica? Hmm? Whaddaya say?) [WWD, NYPost, HuffPo]

In case you missed it: Rachel Zoe has published a picture of her new baby, Skyler. [Official Site]

What if the Sartorialist wrote about all his subjects the way he wrote about Angelica Ardasheva, the blogger he called “sturdy but beautiful”? The Gloss takes a crack: “This older but distinguished gentleman has a great manner of hiding the features that have so elegantly accompanied his age. He makes excellent use of the hat’s wide brim to gently obscure the deeply embedded creases beneath his eyes.” [The Gloss]

Pat Field knocked off Alexander McQueen’s knuckle-duster clutch purse. [Fashionista]

Kate Moss wears Alexander McQueen on both the newsstand and the subscriber cover of the new British Harper’s Bazaar. [Official Site]

Marion Cotillard‘s latest Dior handbag ad is Russian-themed. [WWD]

  • Inès de la Fressange, the face of Chanel in the ’80s and a consultant for the Roger Vivier brand for the past few years, has been named a new face of L’Oréal. [WWD]
  • The low bar for “green” in fashion: “There was also a runway show of 32 looks by designers who have agreed to at least look into sustainable manufacturing processes.” [NYTimes]
  • Giorgio Armani is holding some kind of major event in Beijing on May 28, but shhhhhh, it’s a secret. [WWD]
  • Adriana Lima on motherhood: “It was the best thing that can happen to my life. During pregnancy it was great. Those pregnancy hormones did wonders to me. I feel much more beautiful, sexier, more womanly. I think my hair, my skin is much better now.” Alessandra Ambrosio: “Motherhood changed my life in that everything I do I think about my daughter. I got to work and when I have a pause I just think about my daughter and what she’s doing. I just give more time to be with her and take care of myself to be able to take good care of her.” [Vogue UK]
  • Dita von Teese and Christina Hendricks were among the celebrities who turned out to fête Vivienne Westwood’s first Los Angeles store. [Telegraph]
  • Miu Miu is entering the realm of e-commerce on April 6. [WWD]
  • Bravo is launching two new fashion reality shows: one will be fronted by Brad Goreski, Rachel Zoe‘s old assistant, and the other by human-hair-loving Project Runway alumnus Chris March. [Racked]
  • Nigel Barker thinks it makes perfect sense that Tyra Banks enrolled in a part-time, non-degree-granting course at Harvard Business School. “She’s a very successful businesswoman, and what’s better than to go to Harvard and actually kind of work out the next steps?” [The Cut]
  • Macy’s C.E.O. Terry Lundgren became that rare chief executive to take an effective pay cut last year of around 7%. He still made $14.9 million. [WWD]
  • Profits at H&M declined 30% during the first quarter, compared with the same period last year. The chain still made $530 million in three months. Same-store sales were essentially flat, rising just 1%. The main reason for the decline in profitability was rising costs (the price of cotton, for example, has continued to climb) — costs which, for now, H&M has mostly decided against passing on to consumers. [WWD]
  • Ooh, New Zealand-related fashion news! To celebrate the Rugby World Cup, which as you all certainly are aware New Zealand is hosting this year, Bulgari and the New Zealand Rugby Union have released a limited edition watch. It is all black (like the national team), the dial features a stylized moko, and the profits from all the rich fucks who buy it will raise money to fix the earthquake damage in our hometown, Christchurch. [WWD]
  • Behold, a list of stores that make you feel fat: “These employees are drunk on the power of retail. And I’m their normal bodied sacrificial lamb.” Of course American Apparel tops the list. [Thought Catalog]

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