April 26, 2023 |
Tom Ford is a secular saint; his fashion legacy, illimitable. But alas, it’s the end of the runway for the stubbled colossus. Now, in his final collection for his eponymous brand, he’s looking back at his archives for a revival of his favourite and greatest hits of the past 13 years.
It’s a retrospective, the AW23 collection, accompanied by a triptych of high-octane campaign films lensed by Steven Klein. Throughout the ultraviolet videos, supermodels poise behind glass barriers like objects of desire sheltered from foreign fingers only by the transparent glaze of a vitrine. Like anthropomorphised mannequins, Joan Smalls, Karlie Kloss and Caroline Trentini writhe, strut and swirl, exhibiting reissued red-carpet-ready gowns, sequinned party frocks, fringe-fortified cocktail minis, denim-spliced leopard-print twinsets, sparkling sports jerseys and sleek suiting. Karen Elson sings; Amber Valletta sobs. Ford stands solitary before them, wrapped in his signature peaked lapel suit, perfect white shirt and shades. Barely visible in the umbra, he pauses to lift a hand and direct like a conductor, orchestrating his exit in cinematic style. As he says his final farewell and exits the set, his polished brogues clip-clop; the sound searing itself into our memories like flames to a fashion dynasty.
At 61-years-old, Ford was a true aesthete. In the ’90s, he completely transformed Gucci from a bourgeois leather brand to a coveted luxury cult seemingly overnight, essentially reinventing sex and ushering in the era of the creative director. By 1999, simultaneously positioned at the helm of Yves Saint Laurent, he helped to define the point and purpose of luxury. Mr. Ford made his first departure from fashion in 2004, opting for the art of making movies instead and even mustering a critical hit film just a few years later in 2009, entitled A Single Man. But, by 2005, the Texan designer would return to the wild and wonderful world of fashion under his own name, establishing a brand that quickly became shorthand for high-gloss movie stars with a glitzy approach to dressing.
Building a billion-dollar brand in just over a decade on the strength of his namesake alone is a remarkable feat, so it comes as a slight surprise that Ford would devise such an oddly subdued exit. Whispers of his departure, however, had been swelling since he sold the label to Estée Lauder for $2.8 billion just five months ago – the cosmetic conglomerate’s biggest luxury procurement to date. The decision would offer the designer a much-needed change of pace following the tragic passing of his longtime partner, Richard Buckley, in 2021. Though the brand has yet to announce a successor, the rumours suggest Ford is to be replaced by long-time menswear maven Peter Hawkings. Today, Tom Ford sings his swansong.
Photography by Steven Klein.
