"To have everything look so natural yet be so well thought out at the same time is an eccentricity we might’ve lost." I teased myself with Haider Ackermann’s interview on the Fashion Neurosis podcast just before his debut show at Tom Ford. What I learned (besides never wearing buttons around the designer) was to expect anything but slapstick interpretations of the archive. Instead, Ackermann both promised and delivered a middle ground between his syntax and Tom Ford’s vocabulary.

Among steamed-up glass walls, the collection gave us the expected sex, even if achieved in unexpected ways. That being said, it started where we expected it to: full leather looks in the form of slim structured coats, moto jackets, and even T-shirts. As the show progressed, Ford’s classic tight suits emerged, paired with a singular leather glove. Eventually, Ackermann’s distinctive colour palette came out of the (pale) blue—colourful pastel suits clashed against deeply hued shirts, eventually evolving into temptingly revealing dresses.

Now, admittedly, at first glance, the collection wasn’t what I expected. I wanted raw sex, but this was, as Ackermann so cleverly put it, "the morning after." Yet, the appeal of post-climax sensuality is undeniable. An open white shirt is collared by a monochromatic tie, subtly undermining corporate rigidity. Draped high-neck dresses conceal the front but reveal full backs as they pass, playing with the tension between exposure and restraint. It’s in this dichotomy that we see the future of Tom Ford, led by a designer that doesn’t want to trace his predecessor’s shoes but to forge a path forward.

Words by Pedro Vasconcelos

TOM FORD FW25

TBT_BTB_ARchive

// LATEST //