Last season, Marc Jacobs hosted a five-minute runway show at the New York Public Library, with models wearing dresses and pants of exaggerated doll-like proportions and swiftly walking as "Einstein on the Beach" by Philip Glass played in the background. This season’s fall/winter 2025 show, held last night, was much the same. Guests such as Sofia Coppola, Jenna Lyons, and Tracee Ellis Ross sat in one long singular row. Model Alex Consani, fresh off the plane from her Grammys performance with Charli XCX, closed the show. There were puffed-up dresses, funky accessories, and sequined dots covering models' lips and cheeks. It felt like another chapter of the same story Jacobs has clearly been interested in telling for some time now.
The runway music came from an opera that has long inspired Jacobs; he also cited it as inspiration for his 2013 collection for Louis Vuitton. There is no clear plot to the show, but it’s about existential uncertainty… Sound familiar? On his personal Instagram, Jacobs shared a photo of his show notes, titled Courage, with the hashtag #gratefulnothateful. Indeed his collection didn’t focus on dread but on childlike joy. He presented another playful fantasy that likely elicits memories of playing doll dress-up for many.
Exaggerated Proportions Transformed Models Into Dolls
Jacobs loves an extreme. Every garment that models wore felt plucked out of a dollhouse and supersized. Trousers were puffed up and paired with pointed-shoulder tops, creating an almost shield-like chest, which was slightly softened by the sheer sleeves. Skirts and dresses bubbled up around the models' waists and bodies like hardened whipped meringue. The shoulders of sweaters hung near their necks, as if still stuck on an invisible clothesline or held up by imaginary paper tabs. Jackets cinched in at the waist to create a jetted-out peplum with extra-large lapels and pockets protruding. Models' arms were extended to accommodate the extra-large silhouettes, as if they were plastic appendages stuck in place.
The Show Notes Focused on the Concept of Courage
Titled Courage, the show notes were kept short. “Guided by heart, humility and gratitude. I have come to understand that fear is not my enemy—it is a necessary companion to creativity, authenticity, integrity and life,” Jacobs wrote.
With such a surreal collection, it’s easy to write off what Jacobs is doing as a way to fantasize about a reality we don’t currently live in. But the designer seemed to suggest that his collection was as much a reality as anything else and that creating as he does is a form of grateful resistance, envisioned with love. Fear served as his motivator to create an army of dolls who moved with warmth.
“With precious freedom we dream and imagine without limitation, daring to be vulnerable in the face of criticism and failure,” he continued. “Not to escape from reality but to help navigate, understand and confront it—exploring through curiosity, conviction, compassion and love.”
Funky Accessories Ruled With Off-Kilter Doctor Bags and Elf-esque Boots
While the collection itself was hyperbolic and likely not something most would integrate into their everyday wardrobe, the bags, as to be expected with Marc Jacobs, were enviable. The large top-handle doctor bags featured soft leather that appeared to have been pinched and pulled out, creating a slightly off-kilter shape that felt just right. The detail gave the bag a kind of flow that contrasted against the sharp silhouettes of the clothing. Footwear was freaky in the best way, with heels with tips so long they looked like slim flippers. Tall boots had tips that extended and bent upward, like the tip of an elf’s shoe.
At the show, guests exchanged suggestions for what characters they were reminded of. Some said Betty Boop. Others mentioned Barbie. There were whispers of Marie Antoinette, likely inspired by the extreme Pat McGrath blush circles on the models' cheeks. But ultimately what Marc Jacobs has crafted is so singular: a doll completely of his own creation.
