Marc Jacobs "Staycation" Pre-Fall 2025 Ad Campaign

Review of Marc Jacobs “Staycation” Pre-Fall 2025 Ad Campaign by Photographer Stef Mitchell and Videographer Christian Breslauer with model Doja Cat

Marc Jacobs returns with an offbeat ode to summer in the city, enlisting Doja Cat as the face of its Pre-Fall 2025 “Staycation” campaign. Uniting fashion and music in a single gesture, the campaign debuts Marc Jacobs’ new Dual Bag collection alongside a preview of Doja’s unreleased track, “Jealous Type.” Lensed by Stef Mitchell, with styling by Sydney Rose Thomas and a campaign video directed by Christian Breslauer, the visuals capture Doja’s signature blend of wit, glamour, and chaos—refashioned here into a form of urban escapism.

Set on what appears to be a slightly surreal NYC backlot, the campaign toys with the line between real and constructed. A yellow cab co-stars with weathered stone planters and empty soundstage streets, as Doja strikes confident, often wry poses in a rotating wardrobe of tweed minis, flirty denim separates, and sugary-pastel tanks. She lounges on pink pool chairs or stands boldly mid-sidewalk, embodying a kind of stay-at-home siren whose playground is the neighborhood, not the Riviera. Though the settings are understated, they function like stage sets—blank canvases for Doja’s presence to bring them to life.

The clothes themselves lean into Y2K nostalgia, shot through with irreverent girlishness and downtown edge. Embellished denim skirts, appliqué florals, and rhinestone logo tees are paired with sky-high heels and chain-strapped bags, balancing everyday wearability with an over-the-top wink. The bags—the campaign’s focus—stand out in their cheerful, pillowy construction and range of tones, from classic black to bubblegum pink. The Dual Bag’s sculptural shape and softness manage to feel both playful and practical, while the new Glam Claw Clip Shoulder Bag adds a dose of charming absurdity. As an expression of Marc Jacobs’ recent embrace of internet-age it-girl aesthetics, the collection feels on-brand, though perhaps slightly self-referential in its nostalgia loop.

Still, where the campaign succeeds most is in capturing Doja Cat’s enigmatic charisma and using it as an organizing principle. Her styling echoes the Dual Bag’s ethos—playful but anchored, glamorous yet unpretentious. If the narrative occasionally leans more commercial than conceptual, it’s offset by the precision with which the brand understands its audience: young, expressive, digitally fluent, and nostalgic for an era they never fully lived through. “Staycation” may not rewrite the rules of the campaign format, but it doesn’t need to—it sells a lifestyle that feels attainable but elevated, ironic but sincere.

In the end, Marc Jacobs reminds us that you don’t need a passport to make an entrance—just a killer bag and a bit of attitude.