MARC JABOBS’ SPRING 2025 REMINDS US WHAT FASHION REALLY IS ABOUT
words by MAREK BARTEK
Marc Jacobs knows how to make a statement, and his Spring 2025 collection was no exception. Set against the backdrop of the New York Public Library, the show wasn’t just about clothes—it was about courage. As Jacobs himself summed it up in the notes for the press: “With precious freedom we dream and imagine without limitation… not to escape from reality but to help navigate, understand, and confront it, exploring through curiosity, conviction, compassion, and love.”
all images MARC JACOBS provided by the brand
And that idea came through in every look. This season, Jacobs leaned into extreme proportions, playing with structure in ways that felt both surreal and intentional. Sweaters were built up with what seemed like foam padding, pants featured exaggerated darts in unexpected places, and skirts flattened out like paper dolls or inflated into sculptural rock-like shapes. Dresses took on pillowy, voluminous forms—some dramatic trapeze shapes, others exaggerated hourglass silhouettes.
And then, there were the shoes. Towering boots with curled-up toes that looked straight out of a dream and evening heels with comical-stylishly elongated points—the kind of footwear that takes real conviction to pull off. But that’s what Jacobs does best: he creates a world where even the most theatrical elements feel oddly wearable.
all images MARC JACOBS provided by the brand
Pat McGrath’s beauty direction added another layer of storytelling. Models wore sequinned dots over their lips, a tiny but striking detail that almost felt like a quiet message—perhaps a nod to the fragility of expression in today’s world. And of course, we cannot skip the beauty stickers in shades of burgundy, fuchsia, and crimson, a playful contrast to the otherwise stark, sculptural looks.
Jacobs’ work has always drawn from different eras, and this collection was no different. Some references felt like nods to his own past collections, while others combined up fictional and historical figures—Betty Boop, the Queen of Hearts, even Marie Antoinette. Everyone in the audience saw something different, which only reinforced the dreamlike, almost hypnotic feel of the show.
Jacobs isn’t here to make safe, pretty clothes—he’s here to challenge, to provoke, and to remind us that fashion, at its best, makes us feel something.
all images MARC JACOBS provided by the brand