“I just feel like it’s not the time for overdressing,”said Melitta Baumeister on a call from Paris. Accessorizing is a different matter entirely, however. The arty designer revealed her second Nike shoe (see the first here) with the release of her fall 2026 lookbook. It’s a Pegasus model, neon yellow overprinted with black, with an eye on the instep and inside the shoe. The motto “Run Like No One’s Watching” appears on the sole. (Yes, she’s aware of the irony that a neon sneaker will draw attention.)
Although Baumeister said she “was thinking a lot about women running through the city and going about their lives and the sneaker being a supporting element,” this felt like a feet-first collection. It’s not only that the eyes (the designer’s own) on the sneakers were used as a print in the collection, but that Baumeister’s idea is that sneakers keep things informal. As such, they can help translate the brand’s dramatic, bulbous designs as casual rather than dressy.
Subtract the furry add-ons and some of the looks, such as a knit cardigan jacket, shown with trousers with an inverted pleat at the center of the leg, or a backwards shirt and pleated skirt shown with trousers, and a leather moto with a peplum hem, were the MB equivalent of wardrobe staples. The dresses, as always, were anything but ordinary. Baumeister created undulating volumes with some new techniques. One was to orient pleated and ribbed materials in opposing directions; the other was braiding cut-and-sew knits into sculpture frocks. Baumeister’s take on the season’s spiral cut appeared on the sportiest look in the collection (it would be nice to see more of those in the future) and was achieved using zippers that allow the user to customize fit and volume, making for a different call to action than that broadcast by the MB x Nike Pegasus sneaker.