This Fashion Week, Tom Ford’s show was different. He is one of the first designers to take the plunge into the “See Now, Buy Now” movement; his Fall 2016 collection, shown yesterday, will be available online and in stores tomorrow. No, the samples are not going to be produced in two days — this is all a bit of marketing manipulation. While the other ready-to-wear brands showed their Fall collections — their leather, their feathers, their furs — last February, Tom Ford quietly sat that week out and hid his collection from the public eye. Now that it’s September, consumers can pick and choose from the fall offerings of every brand. The difference is that, while we have been seeing the other looks for the past six months in magazines and on blogs and Instagram, the Tom Ford collection is a burst of newness designed to jolt impulsive buying. Now the other brands are showing spring-appropriate attire that consumers will have to wait until next February to purchase. Waiting to show a collection until it it is ready for the market might seem like a logical, even obvious, thing to do. But as with any other rules, laws, and traditions, the logistics of a mass change are difficult to orchestrate.
The collection is dark, heavy, and warm, but it is also glitzy, colorful, and downright wild. Here are the five most striking themes:
STATEMENT CHOKERS
MULTI-BUCKLE BELTS
COLORFUL FURS
ALL-OUT SEQUINS
BLACK VELVET
The Tom Ford show also stood out for its soiree atmosphere. Guests sat at candlelit round tables on either side of the runway, sipping champagne. This reduced seating arrangement made the show even more exclusive than in seasons past. Here are some of the few who made the cut:
Tom Ford, Julianne Moore, and Bart Freundlich
Karlie Kloss with two friends; Jessica Hart
Naomi Campbell
Cindy Crawford and Iman; Alicia Keys
Lauren Hutton
Julia Restoin-Roitfeld
Photo credits: wwd.com unless otherwise stated
Blissful Style 