Gratitude Looks Good on Marc Jacobs

2 min read

The emotion driving Marc Jacobs’s latest collection wasn’t escapism or nostalgia—it was gratitude. “Creating, as an act of gratitude, is my truest form of self-expression,” the designer wrote in his show notes—a sentiment that materialized in a tightly edited collection that felt both deeply personal and unmistakably Jacobs.

Tonight, the brand returned to the New York Public Library for the first time in two years to present its spring/summer 2027 collection. The show began promptly at 7:30 P.M. sharp and wrapped just four minutes later. Perhaps that, too, was an act of gratitude. Jacobs is notoriously punctual, bucking an industry where 30-minute delays are practically standard.

However brief, the presentation didn’t mince its message. As ever, Jacobs challenged the familiar with layering that was anything but standard. PVC tank tops came with nylon long-sleeve undershirts, only to be made even wilder with a pleated, polka-dot skirt and a double-stacked belt.

Like many designers this season, Jacobs embraced transparency. It appeared in an icy blue sheer pencil skirt paired with a matching chore coat, as well as a plum bodysuit worn with a tangle of mismatched necklaces.

The styling carried the fantasy even further. Gossamer tights came in a rainbow of colors, from neon yellow to royal purple and fire-engine red. Sky-high pumps rested on elongated, curved heels. Matching and sometimes clashing lipstick drove home a fearless approach to color—and reminded us that the designer recently relaunched his beloved beauty line.

In his show notes, Jacobs cited a wide-ranging roster of fashion touchstones: Chanel spring/summer 1993, Junya Watanabe 1996, and late-aughts Prada—references that surfaced in Karl Lagerfeld-esque croc-embossed jackets and Miuccia Prada-style belted “going-out” dresses.

The designer also self-referenced two eponymous collections from 1998 and 2000, as well as his very sheer and wildly colorful spring/summer 2009 show for Louis Vuitton. Now that’s a flex!

For all its exaggerated proportions and oddball styling, the collection was surprisingly grounded in optimism. Jacobs summed it up best in his show notes: “Gratitude, in learning how to better recognize abundance, even in life’s most uncertain moments, amidst challenge lay purpose and through change lay possibility.”

Matthew Velasco is the Fashion News Editor at ELLE. Based in New York City, he previously worked as a News Writer at W magazine and an Assistant Editor at V magazine. Outside of fashion, he enjoys interior design, tennis (both watching and playing), and a jam-packed antique store.