SPRING 2018 READY-TO-WEAR. TOM FORD

by NICOLE PHELPS

Invitations to Tom Ford’s first New York show in a year came with a bottle of his latest fragrance, Fucking Fabulous—as if we needed a reminder. While he was away, Ford wrote, directed, and produced an Academy Award–nominated movie, Nocturnal Animals. Andrea Riseborough, who had a cameo in that film, was in the front row at the Park Avenue Armory tonight, along with many more of Ford’s famous pals—Julianne Moore, Kim Kardashian West, and Chaka Khan included.

Ford’s reputation precedes him. He’s the guy who resurrected Gucci, then took up the reins at Yves Saint Laurent before walking away from the Gucci Group a very, very rich man. He’s gone Hollywood, while simultaneously building his eponymous label into a nearly $2 billion business on the twin engines of his menswear and beauty lines; womenswear makes up just 30 percent. That number spells it out: Ford doesn’t quite lead the fashion conversation the way he did back in his Gucci days. If you’re a guy who minted trends in the ’90s—retro ’70s slink, boho-luxe, low-slung kick flares, super-high heels, et cetera—how do you adjust to your new position? And how do you change it?

For Spring, more so than at his see-now-buy-now go-round at the Four Seasons last September, Ford took cues from his own successful menswear. It was a good instinct. As he put it backstage, he’s designed a man’s suit that’s recognizable from across the room as a Tom Ford, “fully canvas-lined, with 36 hours of handwork.” It’s so recognizable, in fact, that he’s had many female clients asking him for men’s suits of their own, tailored to fit their bodies. Previously, Ford didn’t have the capability, but now he does. And so, voilà, his new women’s jackets are broad of shoulder, peaked of lapel, and cut in a variety of materials, most fabulously a shocking pink velvet.

Ford’s jackets were confident, expertly cut, and when paired with a plunge-front, backless jumpsuit on Mica Argañaraz, drop dead sexy in the manner of his Gucci shows of old. His second plan of attack this season, recapturing his signature ’90s glam, is no easy feat, especially without his then-muse and designer whisperer Carine Roitfeld by his side. But is that likely to stop Ford? The hip-flashing maillots he paired with low-slung pants looked like a 20-teens refresh of Georgina Grenville’s era-defining cutout jersey column dress, designed with an eye to the body positive Hadid and Jenner clans. The crystallized T-shirts, worn sans pants, were harder to peg, but as a twenty-something colleague pointed out, they’d be perfect for Rihanna.

At first glance, the red carpet interlude wasn’t quite so racy, but as those ruched net dresses made their way back down the runway, it became clear just how sheer they were. The times have changed, but Ford is as fearless as ever.

https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2018-ready-to-wear/tom-ford