Tom Ford’s Glitzy S/S'23 Show

Tom Ford closed New York Fashion Week with an amped-up show that was all about the sparkle. Below, see Anders Christian Madsen’s five key takeaways from the designer’s spring/summer 2023 collection.

 

Tom Ford amplified his showmanship

There’s no business like show business – in every sense of the word. With rumours of a potential company sale, Tom Ford raised the stakes in both show production and attendance, putting on an orchestration reminiscent of his Gucci days. The audience counted everyone from Madonna and children to the new-gen Beckhams and Evan Mock – there was a poster girl or boy for every generation to relate to – while the almost disco-lit metallic runway and backdrop spelled out the high-octane glamour of showbiz.

It was a more embellished Tom Ford

If recent seasons have marked a toned-down, purified direction for Tom Ford, this collection amped up the decoration factor. From pastel metallics to intricate floral embroideries and seas of sequins, the designer drenched his collection in glitz and glamour, in looks that took their point of departure in his beloved 1970s through a decidedly American lens, from stage show references to rodeo-esque motifs and louche Studio 54 dressing.

Ford’s lingerie was back

One of the most memorable elements of his Gucci career, lingerie made a triumphant return on Ford’s runway, from women’s black lace négligées and tiny lace bras worn casually under formidable tailoring, to women’s leather bandeau bras and gowns constructed with unravelling bra elements. Most cheekily, Ford put male models in delicate black Chantilly lace briefs, evoking the highly erotic men’s underwear of his Gucci era, now sold as collectors’ items around the world (“as new”, if you’re lucky).

It was all about the sparkle

In evening wear, Ford made a case for the sequin – and some. Floor-length gowns were embroidered entirely in sequins wrapping the models’ silhouettes in light-refracting curves that shimmered iridescently in the lights-camera-action production of the show. Ford closed the bash with his take on the bride: a lizard-like gold and silver sequined wedding dress with a matching flower bouquet and a majestic braided hair crown that resembled a mantilla.

The menswear reached glam highs

Ford’s menswear made for some of the show’s most glamorous moments. Suits in animal jacquards or croc-embossed patent leather styled with matching transparent shirts and ties proposed a very post-pandemic approach to office wear, while tiny sequins covered an Old Hollywood ecru tuxedo jacket complemented by a dramatically swept-over early ’90s hairdo that, through contemporary eyes, screamed for a TikTok moment.