Just as the New York Times comes out with a story about his diminishing relevance, Marc Jacobs's genius fall 2011 campaign comes out, starring Helena Bonham Carter. The 45-year-old actress who famously wore mismatched shoes to the Golden Globes, thereby doing that thing actresses get punished for doing on the red carpet — displaying personality — lies supine, her legs bent, wearing a pillbox hat and pink scallop-edged dress from the fall collection. Bonham Carter, a Vivienne Westwood patron, wore a Marc Jacobs resort dress to the SAG awards this year, foreshadowing this wonderful ad campaign.

While analysts and fashion experts told the Times for that story last week that it was difficult to pinpoint Jacobs's signature, is it, really? The Telegraph sums it up perfectly:

Jacobs is known for casting unexpected faces and personalities to star in his advertising campaigns: In 2007, he chose the child star Dakota Fanning, who was 13 at the time; and in 2008 he persuaded Spice Girl turned fashion designer Victoria Beckham to pose with her head poking out of an oversized carrier bag.

He uses pop culture to sell his clothes in a very relevant and unexpected way that, most importantly, goes way beyond putting a beautiful actress in an infallibly flattering silk evening gown.

Helena Bonham Carter models for Marc Jacobs [Telegraph UK]