Marc Jacobs’ Latest Show Included Both Real & Fake Eye Makeup

Just when you thought fashion was finally on vacation after Couture Week, Marc Jacobs comes in and reminds us why he’s one of the best living American fashion designers. On July 1, models marched down the echoing halls of the New York Public Library as part of a doll-themed show titled “Joy, Period,” which included looks that embodied Minnie Mouse, Polly Pocket, and Nan Kempner in equal doses. While the exaggerated shapes that stood away from the body and altered the wearer’s posture caught our attention, one couldn’t help but wonder how the models were seeing over (or under?) their eye makeup.

The pop-art-esque eye “makeup” — really, two silk eyelid-shaped eye covers with exaggerated eyelashes — was executed by makeup artist Diane Kendal, who posted a BTS video on Instagram showing the models wearing matte pastel eyeshadow under the masks. Outside of the eyes, the glam was decidedly simple, with barely a stitch of visible makeup on lips and faces. The Muppets-like effect of the eyes matched the clothing to a T: They both jumped off the models’ bodies, questioning the notions of proportion, reality, and comfort.

Jacobs himself has been embracing happiness with his super long nails, which he matched to one of the pastel jelly-bean-style crystal motifs from the show. In the face of lots of self-serving, serious-thinking fashion in serious times, Jacobs is here to remind us that life is not that deep, and choosing to indulge in frivolity is not ignorance but rather the radical acceptance of joy.