While Tom Ford could not be reached to discuss the menswear collection ( Let the senior design team pass the context instead), the founder’s carefully trimmed fingerprints are clearly visible. Tom Ford Ocean Plastic timepieces and large Tom Ford sunglasses are blatant accessories for major ready-to-wear events. You can almost smell Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille or Neroli Portofino while contemplating a collection that subtly elevates the brand’s basic menswear identity while enhancing it.
This breaks down into three overlapping aspects. The first is a rough dress cut with a hint of 10 in the cut, which is reported to be partially Inspired by Ford’s recent shot of new Elvis Austin Butler. This season’s new wide-shouldered 1.5-breasted Austin suit look is the clearest proof of that. It is delivered in a variety of jewel tones and cream alternatives. Fabrics range from viscose and wool to mohair, and Austin and its co-stars often wear sneakers and double-zip silk bomber jackets in place of tank tops. There’s a silk trench coat that can’t rain if you want to keep it looking.
Then there is the louche semi-formal casual. These include slim silhouettes and Cafe Racer jackets in embossed animal-print leather or a quilted finish. There is a nappa leopard-print truck driver wearing a leopard-print silk shirt, which in turn is worn over a leopard-print silk tank. Leopard-print pants and pony-skin leopard-print boots lingered south, completing more leopard-print looks than Lampedusa. The denim was carefully torn and repaired in homage to Ford’s own scarred staples. Velvet pajamas provide the climax to this chapter.
The third aspect is towards the louche elevated sportswear. Fine mesh, previously hinted at, was brought to jackets and vests, paired with patterned viscose shorts—once a no-no at Ford but recently a happy category. Then there is the expressive patterned velvet robe. Finally, the Ford U turned around and went back to cutting, presenting a handsome stack of $10, –20, Fashion – Horizontal jackets in beaded or ultra-rich moiré fabrics. The final encore comes from the quintessential mid-century American evening jacket: Ford’s remixed Ratpack uniform.
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