Marc Jacobs debuts Fall 2024 collection full of whimsical escapism

In terms of the news cycle, the last four days or so have been among the most depressing for many. Marc Jacobs didn’t know this when he planned his Fall 2024 runway show, now traditionally off-calendar, when his PR team sent out a save-the-date a few weeks ago.

So, it was especially a treat for guests such as pal Anna Sui and model Karen Elson to escape into the hallowed and beautifully solemn marble walls of the New York Public Library and put aside grave thoughts about the state of global affairs to embrace the pure and simple beauty of fashion, or as Jacobs put it in his show notes: “Joy, Period.”

While a Marc Jacobs collection seldom disappoints, his fall outing comes on the heels of a particularly high note for his spring collection, which played with outsized proportions and doll-like silhouettes, leaving New York with a bonafide fashion moment.

Jacobs did the same for this collection, which hits the selling floor this month, building on some of the gargantuan themes as an evolution of the mood.

He backed up his “Joy, Period” statement by making a case for unrestrained freedom of expression in fashion in the name of “joy, beauty, and personal transformation” to remind of the medium’s raison d’etre. He furthered his conviction by confirming his pursuit of love, faith, and reflection, stating, “I believe in living with authenticity, free from validation and permission of absurd conservatism and societal norms.”

To that end, Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s avant-garde “Trial/Prison” from Einstein on the Beach provided the soundtrack. The lyrics’ music referenced someone discovering a 4th of July bathing cap for sale in a grocery store as they realized it had been a while since they had been to the beach, perhaps a timely topic for a July evening.

Four crisp white poplin and eyelet-enlarged and sculpted dresses with a retro flare and subsequent bikinis to follow that opened the show suggested Jacobs also didn’t feel compelled to offer traditional fabrications typically indicative of the fall selling season or play it safe when it came to conventional notions of flattering silhouettes which would have been less daring and exciting.

Instead, Jacobs delighted by reexamining retro touches and giving them a cartoon-chic edge. Bodices had nipped pointed breast lines à la 1950s bullet bras; a side-swept hemline on the opening look dress was Marilyn Monroe in the “Seven Year Itch”; 19th-century-inspired crinolines were visible under sheer paillette dresses or gave miniskirts a fresh, off-the-hips look. Tulip-shaped skirts, especially with a red-and-white shirt, recalled the sassy Minx cartoon character Olive Oyl; flesh tones were pieced into the garment to give a strapless illusion.

There was a ‘yellow polka-dot bikini’—the pattern appeared big and bold throughout—and a purple with white cuffs and collar baby doll dress that channeled the upper half of Barbra Streisand’s saucy 1969 Oscars outfit.

The fantastic, jeweled dress from spring, worn by guest Jessica Wang to the show, evolved into pastel-colored gemstones covering tailored styles in mini lengths and oversized buttons.

To accentuate the looks, models wore large lid and lash eye pasties channeling Jan from the “Muppet Show,” photo-print floral brooches donned lapels, sleeves seamed forward so that even in the oversized shapes the arms looked too small, pulling them awkwardly forward.

The exaggerated shoe shape from the spring collection evolved into sandal styles, and soft single-handle satchel bags with a chain detail were worn front and center on several styles; a smart move considering the category’s importance for the brand.

It was clear throughout that Jacobs enjoyed his process and designed for good design’s sake, pushing fashion into the dreamlike space that allows us to transform ourselves. While the current world events around us can’t be controlled, clothes like this offer playful refuge.