Haider Ackermann’s buzz-worthy appointment as creative director of Tom Ford earlier this month may have made the interim, studio-produced collection at Milan feel a little less exciting, but its steady climb in the Vogue Runway rankings shows that the Tom Ford name still holds weight, even without a big-name designer steering the ship.
Though it didn’t have that signature edge Ford used to bring to his shows—something that was also missing during Peter Hawkings’s brief stint—this collection stuck closely to the brand’s DNA. The sexy, slinky knits, often woven with metallic threads, were present, as was the power tailoring that made Ford’s menswear iconic.
The real star of the show, though, was a floor-length T-shirt dress covered in tiny silver beads—it was as easy to wear as it was striking.
There were also buttery leather jacket-and-skirt combos, a silky jumpsuit that nodded to the ’70s Halston era, and plenty of sporty short-shorts. Given Ackermann’s long history of crafting vagabond chic, those shorts might not be part of Tom Ford’s future, but we’ll have to wait and see. Next up is Paris, where Ackermann will unveil his debut collection for the brand on the runway in March.
