Beach-to-club sexiness (with a luscious, catchy appeal to match) brimmed aplenty, ushering the ’80s glamour we’ve been accustomed to
Everyone was talking about just one thing at New York Fashion Week’s very civilised—yet star-heavy—runway shows. Above all, Tom Ford was a major hit, modest in scope and luscious in elegance. (The collection comprised, for the most part, new iterations of limpid sequined dresses that the maison’s clientele are accustomed to). But there’s more to the story. The fact that this house has an eye on the horizon—with a retro-tinged proclivity that harkens back to the ‘80s party fever—was demonstrated both by the audacious offerings that ended New York Fashion Week and its forays into tailoring. Meanwhile, his draped, wrapped, and sharp-cut numbers have evolved ever brilliantly.
The tailored looks were few and slightly tentative. Tom Ford made an interesting choice in translating the textile of leather—flared, high-waisted pants; a cut-off slouchy jacket—into a lightweight proposal for Spring, a move that keeps with his brand’s emphasis on pliancy and bracing versatility. But Tom Ford’s nod to New York city was more confident in his execution of his other key pant and outerwear offerings: nicely executed sequined toppers and lapeled coats that emerged organically from his vaguely gilded vernacular.
The dresses were the real stars, however. Working across elongated shapes and skin-tight volumes, Tom Ford conjured some really lovely looks in gold and black, and he found interesting new ways to deploy his signature Americana approach to pattern-making, which allows him to forge a path for a poignantly retro design model. One standout piece, for instance—a leather jacket worn by supermodel Gigi Hadid in pitch black—obtained its lovely sense of dimension from the fact that it had been paired with a maxi crop top and wacky hairstyle. For Ford, an all-out style policy is a mainstay, not a fad, when it comes to the exercise of his fashion lexicon.
This fact was underlined as well by statement tops—très early 2000s—made from beaming-shaped bits of fabric, and glowing accessories that look as though they’d been magnified, when in fact they’d been made to impress.
There were good ideas here, and several winning looks; no doubt more of that will be on offer as Tom Ford continues to expand his legacy in the world of fashion.
