TOM FORD kicked off New York Fashion Week's Spring/Summer 2018 showcase this past week, transforming Manhattan’s Park Avenue Armory into an intimate, pink runway.
The Texas-born designer brought to the forefront a series of modern and very feminine looks, with an emphasis on vibrant colors, sequins and ultra-high heels.
Ford described his collection as "a throwback in a way to the spirit" of the ‘90s, "for the kind of energy that my collections had at Gucci (then). And there are a lot of sort of ’90s things floating around in fashion right now."
"There's another thing in fashion now which is 'more is more is more is more' … but I wanted to have something slicker, sleeker, more streamlined. Really, just to capture the energy of that period."
Bold shoulders, baggy pants, mini-dresses, a welter of sequins, asymmetry and racer backs, wardrobe staples from the 1990s featured in the TOM FORD line-up.
Blush sequin tops, cropped micro hemlines, sharply tailored jackets and body suits with plunging necklines and hip-high cut outs, added to the collection.
"I always like to use a little something that catches the light," Ford explained afterward in an interview, "because they’re also red carpet dresses."
Palette-wise, there was an emphasis on yellow, orange, electric blue, fuchsia pink and silver presented with multiple effects.
"You know the way women dress today is very different. Day clothes as we knew them don’t exist anymore. Women wear jeans, a T-shirt, a great jacket … and as they go out to lunch or dinner, they pop on a pair of high heels."
His gowns, he said, were a different thing entirely — which is why he paused the music, lowered the light and then brought out supermodel Gigi Hadid in an elegant ruched gown in dusty rose, with long sequined sleeves.
The show segued immediately into pumping after party to launch his new fragrance "Fucking Fabulous" - an apt description of the fashion showcase that preceded the affair.
Tom Ford's eponymous eyewear, beauty and fashion empire is now reportedly on track to hit retail revenue of nearly US$2 billion in 2017.
