His master bedroom walls feature six John Currin paintings, while an original floor lamp designed by Alberto Giacometti offers the illumination needed to see a low table by Jean-Michel Frank. Bernd Goeckler Antiques provided the Jansen dresser and mirror. Two Dominique armchairs are covered in Holly Hunt fabric, while a pair of Lalanne bronze monkeys rest on pedestals across from each other and serve to frame a wall. The room is a virtual showroom of famous artists and designers, and on the occasion of a photo shoot for Architectural Digest, “Neville,” the dog sitting on a chair in the middle of it all was by provided by Bull Terrier.
As in: “Neville” is a Bull Terrier.
Few of us who’ve ever shopped for clothing haven’t heard of Neville’s owner, Marc Jacobs. In 1987, Jacobs became the youngest designer to have ever been awarded the fashion industry’s highest tribute, the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Perry Ellis Award for “New Fashion Talent.” His interpretations of trends in pop culture, specifically his “grunge” collection, was credited with launching the grunge look of the 1990s, but the Marc Jabobs dress design installed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, was anything but grunge. In 1997, Jacobs opened the first of his many boutiques, and in exchange for financial support of his fashion house, he signed on as creative director for Louis Vuitton where he revitalized the brand and designed its first line of ready-to-wear clothing.
Neville is no slouch in the fame department, either. He’s been photographed in his famous owner’s designs, and has over 180K followers on his Instagram page. He flies around the world, is walked around the block by supermodels like Carolyn Murphy, the face of Estee Lauder, and is so iconic that he “released” his own memoir, Neville Jacobs: I’m Marc’s Dog. The book is an “intimate look” at Neville’s life via candid photos, and snapshots of quiet moments at home; the book was really written by Marc Jacobs’ studio manager, Nicolas Newbold, who took many of the photos, and owns Neville’s best friend, “Choo Choo Charlie,” a French Bulldog.
This Bull Terrier is so loved that at one time, one could buy Marc Jacobs loafers with Neville’s face on them. Jacobs even launched a line of dog sweaters under the label, “Bark Jacobs,” but when we tried to find one, the $150 sweater was sold out.
Neville’s favorite chew toys are flower pillows by the Japanese artist, Takashi Murakami. He eats out of a special bowl with polka dots made by Yayoi Kusama, prefers to sleep in his owner’s Balenciaga Seven-Layer Parka, and on most days, the now eleven year old Neville hangs out at the office. He wants for nothing, as far as we can tell, and that makes him have a lot in common with we who love our dogs.
You can glimpse the rough life of this celebrity dog by visiting this link which takes you to a video. Learn more about “Who is Marc Jacobs” in the New York Times article link.
Image: © Katarzyna Leszczynska | Dreamstime.com