Marc Jacobs's Doll Aesthetic Has Been All Over Fashion Month

In the midst of New York Fashion Week earlier this September, I found myself in a dollhouse. It was a life-size installation at New York's Academy Mansion with oversize objects, from tables to beds to makeup compacts, that made me feel as though I was some child's Barbie lost uptown. The illusion was only made more real by the fact that there were models dressed up like dolls everywhere I turned who were wearing Marc Jacobs's Doll Pumps and pieces from the brand's 40th-year anniversary collection of exaggerated proportions.

Together, Jacobs and artist Anna Weyant transformed the landmarked space into a fashion fantasy for Capital One and The Cultivist. There was no dress code to adhere to, yet everyone there seemed to be wearing a self-imposed uniform with exaggerated mascara, high-heeled pumps, and cutesy clothing that wouldn't feel out of place in a toy catalog. It was then that it dawned on me that everyone was dressed like dolls—even those standing outside of The Dollhouse.

First, there were Marc Jacobs's dolls. He began to put models in doll-like dresses and accessories of exaggerated proportions in his first runway show of 2024. It has since become a running motif in every show he's had since. Fashion editors, influencers, and celebrities alike have all embraced the look, which feels apt given the choke hold the coquette aesthetic has had on popular culture since 2023. Dressing like a doll takes coquette one step further. It isn't just enough to wear a ribbon in your hair to connect to your inner child. Instead, you need to try to quite literally become the doll your younger self projected their vision of adulthood—and the fashion that would require—onto.

I saw the doll theme emerge most prominently in New York at Sandy Liang, particularly in the lace white dress that turned the model wearing it quite literally into a dollhouse with small panels of patterned fabric made to look like windows you could peer through. In London, Ashley Williams had models wear colorful bouffants, which were tousled, overaccessorized, and dyed like the Barbie dolls often saved and used for creative experimentation. (I believe they called such a doll Weird Barbie in the Barbie movie.) Simone Rocha, too, evoked a bit of childlike whimsy by having some models carry ruffled pillows like supersized sleepy-time dolls while wearing tiered ruffle dresses with oversize floral rosettes. To me, even the energy at Prada felt paper doll–esque. The bright clothing was ruffled and frenetically styled as if it was tossed on by a kid in a toy shop who has the freedom to believe anything and everything works together.

It's been predicted for some time now that twee would have a comeback. The fashion look, which was popular from the mid-2000s to mid-2010s, was inspired in large part by a 1960s mod look. Most will remember it by its childish quirk. Twee made Peter Pan collars, owl necklaces, and knee-high stockings—most often paired with shorts—trendy. The rise of doll-like dressing feels like the precursor to the twee takeover. Even in Dario Vitale's first collection for Versace, you could see the inspiration of twee in the long beaded necklaces. They are not quite the chandelier necklaces of the 2010s… but they come awfully close.

Before we know it, it'll feel like we're all walking around a dollhouse as the look catches on in the next couple months. Thankfully, I've already invested in my Marc Jacobs Doll Pumps for this moment.