American designer Marc Jacobs has taken inspiration from Marilyn’s bombshell style for his Fall 2024 collection, which closed out International Fashion Week yesterday in a show held at the New York Public Library, as Nicole Phelps reports for Vogue.
“‘I believe in living with authenticity—free from validation and permission of absurd conservatism and societal norms.’ Marc Jacobs said he was after ‘joy, period’ at his show tonight. It lasted all of six minutes—a short, sharp shock—but it made a big, big impression. I saw Marilyn Monroe in her iconic subway grate dress from The Seven Year Itch, Minnie Mouse in her red and white polka dots, and princess gowns out of a Disney classic. There were other references for other eyes, but there’s no debate that this was a collection full of main character energy.”
UPDATE:
Jacobs has seemingly referenced Marilyn’s famous beauty mark in his latest ready-to-wear show for New York Fashion Week, Vogue reports.
“Beauty stickers—like our favorite patches to simultaneously treat and adorn our acne—were reborn in the eyes of Marc Jacobs last night at his spring 2025 show. (While Fashion Week typically shows for the upcoming season, Jacobs broke with the traditional Fashion Week format and presented a see-it-buy-it style show this year.)
‘The collection is a play on dimension, shape, and form,’ says makeup doyenne Dame Pat McGrath, who created the look. ‘We are playing with two-dimensional shapes on each of the models’ faces.’ She gestures to the table next to her, where plates of the spots and dots of pretty velvet in shades of burgundy, fuchsia, red, and pink sit at attention waiting to be applied. ‘This is an abstraction of beauty.’
Each model has the dots custom-applied depending on their outfit and face—and with that, one can imagine the reference. My imagination conjures small black spots near the lip à la Marilyn Monroe (who Jacobs has referenced in past shows as well) or below the eye like Sophia Loren; the largest circles of red on the cheeks recall the beauty tradition of Korean brides or the signature look of Vogue contributor Lynn Yaeger, who attended the show. ‘Anywhere you see a spot, it’s representative of beauty. Maybe it’s blushing cheeks or a kiss on the lips,’ McGrath adds.”
The Marilyn Report 