Marc Jacobs decided Madonna should be the new face for the 2009 Louis Vuitton Spring Collection after recently watching her on stage. Jacob admitted he was blown away by Madonna’s performance and energy at the “Sticky & Sweet” Tour.

The result is six atmospheric pictures of a smoldering Madonna by Steven Meisel that will break in a range of fashion magazines in February. “It’s a big change from what we were doing. It tells a story,” said Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s director of communications. “This I think is an amazing coup, but more than that, there’s real logic behind it. It’s very linked to Marc’s fashion show.”

“I still feel it looks like beautiful, gorgeous Madonna,” Jacobs said about the images. “Excepting the references and excepting the clichés, this still feels very today. And it didn’t feel so much like a fashion shoot, it feels like portraits.”

The designer also marveled at the singer’s incredible fitness that allowed her to recline, her back arched, on bentwood chairs, or shoot a leg straight up in the air, no sweat. “She’s so sure of herself as an icon and as a woman. It was her idea to do the fishnets,” Jacobs said. “What fascinates me the most about her is her never-ending energy, and the idea of becoming and changing. She’s an artist who’s unafraid to use her voice.”

Madonna really looks kind of good in these photos – I wonder how much they really had to airbrush them to make her look at least a bit presentable. Alex Rodriguez must be really proud of his new lover for not looking like such an old bag… or maybe he is more into his brand new hot bag, Miss Melissa Britos!!

Ah, easy joke: Hey Alex, how do you get a paper baby? Just marry an old bag!!

[images: fashionspot]