The original cafe is located in the Brera Distract in Milan directly behind the Marc by Marc Jacobs retail store. Neon lights and futuristic decor set it apart from competitors.

Cafe number two is slated to open on this side of the Atlantic, more specifically in uptown Manhattan.  MJ’s business partner, Robert Duffy confirmed the plan is in the works and hinted at its uptown locale.

It is noted that there are no Marc Jacobs boutiques uptown so it’s possible they may follow not far behind. Considering the success of mega-designers like Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren are partially due to successes outside of fashion, branching out into new markets is a good sign for a designer like Jacobs whose aesthetic and charm make him so versatile in style choice. Even though a home collection is the usual expansion route, we’re looking forward to seeing Jacobs’ design vision expanded – whether it be the coffee shop or the fashion runway. {Racked}

Will the Marc Jacobs name be enough to make you consider a change in your normal coffee provider? If so, what venture do you want to see the growing MJ empire take on next?

We love the idea, and think it’s about time we saw a plus size collection from the designer, although we wonder how Marc feels about his partner letting the news slip on twitter. While the explosion of plus-sized models in magazine spreads left more than a few people cynical about if it was tokenism or signs of a real change in fashion, it does seem to mark a shift. Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York flagship quietly announced plans to include sizes up to 20 with fall collections from Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana among others. While it would  nice to see larger sizes included on styles from the main range, something is better than nothing when it comes to more options for 12+ women who are interested in fashion, but don’t find the same variety of options at retail.  Some styles in the traditional 0-10 designer size range may not be flattering if they’re just sized up, so we’ll take the optimistic view that the split from the main line is for the purpose of creating clothes designed specifically to flatter larger sizes. As long as the end result is a sister line that has enough sartorial similarities to the Marc Jacobs aesthetic fans of all sizes have come to admire, we can’t wait to see the result.

In addition to the plus-size line, Robert also tweeted about a debut Marc Jacob’s Men’s show in Milan saying,  “Yea. I guess I broke the news on twitter that we were going to have our first Marc Jacobs Men’s Collection show to be held in Milan.”  The good news keeps on coming, but Duffy admits, “I’m over sharing, but  still unable to resist.”