Nicky Hilton Rothschild embraced sculptural whimsy at the Marc Jacobs fall 2025 runway show on Monday night, arriving at the New York Public Library in a sharply tailored black-and-white shift dress — and a pair of surrealist platform pumps that grounded the look with visual drama.
Hilton Rothschild’s footwear choice, a statement-making black pump from Marc Jacobs, featured a gravity-defying silhouette with an extreme upturned toe. The exaggerated shape curved upward at a fairy tale-like angle, offsetting a chunky block heel at the rear. The platform sole, covered in smooth black leather, created a fluid line from toe to heel, playing into the sculptural fashion vocabulary Jacobs has leaned into across recent collections.
Bijou Phillips, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Valentina Ferrer, Char Defrancesco and Anna Wintour sit front row during the Marc Jacobs 2026 show at New York Public Library on June 30 in New York City.
Bijou Phillips, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Valentina Ferrer, Char Defrancesco and Anna Wintour sit front row during the Marc Jacobs 2026 Runway Show at New York Public Library on June 30, 2025 in New York City.
The silhouette echoes designs previously worn by Tracee Ellis Ross at Jacobs’ spring 2025 show, where Ross paired a similar shoe with a yellow jacket and purple skirt. In both cases, the footwear served as a grounding element for otherwise playful proportions — a recurring theme in Jacobs’ world of twisted, doll-like beauty.
A closer look at Nicky Hilton Rothchild’s whimsical platform-style shoes with a curvy toe point.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs
For the fall 2026 presentation, Hilton Rothschild styled the shoes with a mini-length mod dress in black with vertical white paneling and bell sleeves, letting the graphic contrast mirror the drama of the footwear. She carried Louis Vuitton’s Graffiti Alma PM bag in black and white, further emphasizing the look’s archival-meets-modern edge. On Instagram Stories, she shared a behind-the-scenes moment alongside Bijou Phillips, who also wore an exaggerated silhouette from Jacobs’ fantastical lineup.
Bijou Phillips, Nicky Hilton Rothschild, Tina Leung, Jessica Wang and Sai De Silva attend the Marc Jacobs 2026 Runway Show at New York Public Library on June 30, 2025 in New York City.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Marc Jacobs
The show itself continued Jacobs’ exploration of proportion, romance and the surreal. With just 19 looks presented, the collection was concise but packed with structural gestures: oversize bows, padded shoulders and lace gowns that morphed into sculptural forms. “Beauty,” read the show notes, “a quality or combination of qualities that gives pleasure to the mind or senses… harmony of form or color, proportion, and authenticity.” Hilton Rothschild’s footwear choice reflected that ethos in miniature — equal parts playful and precise.
Whimsy in footwear isn’t new for Hilton Rothschild. Her 2025 French Sole collaboration included cutout ballet flats and glittered loafers designed with nods to nostalgia and sustainability. That same spirit of charm was present in Monday’s look, albeit pushed through the dramatic lens of Jacobs’ Victorian futurism.
