Fashion industry prepares lovefest for Marc Jacobs

Yet, while he swaps out the details in rapid fire, there is almost unparalleled consistency, too: He likes surprises, takes risks, embraces showmanship, pairs patterns and textures, finds balance between artistry and commercialism, and sees the importance in a visual statement.

He keeps the jaded industry on its toes — sometimes with a little arrogance. But editors, stylists, retailers and celebrities seem to stay firmly supportive of Jacobs with constant toasts to his talent.

One of the biggest lovefests will come Monday at the annual Council of Fashion Designers of America awards, a splashy ceremony at Lincoln Center to be hosted by Anderson Cooper with Lady Gaga receiving one of the prizes. Jacobs has been selected as the lifetime achievement winner, a title previously won by Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Yves Saint Laurent and Geoffrey Beene, for whom the award is now named.

Jacobs, who already has won numerous times in the competitive categories of womenswear, menswear and accessories, could go home double-fisted: He is nominated as the year’s best women’s designer again, this time facing Alexander Wang and the design duo Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler.

Wang and Proenza Schouler are the new hipster guard, but they’re not considered as influential or directional as Jacobs, who, at 48, isn’t ready pass the torch.

“It’s crazy,’’ says Jacobs. “I mean, I have a lot more to do. `Achievement’ sounds final. I’d like to call it `Lifetime of achievement — and for what’s left to achieve.’’’

He adds, “I have no intention of slowing down. I don’t rest anyway.’’

Jacobs doesn’t have the jet-setter image that some of his peers do. Photos don’t surface of his long holidays in the Caribbean or treks in exotic places, and he’s not a staple of the red carpet or the charity circuit. One thinks of Jacobs as the quirky downtown guy, even if he’s at the forefront of two mega brands — his namesake collection, plus Louis Vuitton and all the subsidiaries that go with it, including the contemporary-priced Marc by Marc Jacobs line, swimwear, sunglasses, shoes and handbags.