Tom Ford S/S 2024 Milan

[WAVES]

it’s a very literal collection with hints of himself I guess.
it all looks great (the first pieces look a bit dubious quality wise especially the black leather ones but it might be the lighting, motion, etc)

the thing is, it almost (?) feels dated because it’s all so literal. and we have ir seen it before.
as it’s Hawkings first presentation it might be an homage (only) even if a little too on the nose. also, for the fact that he looks like Tom when showing up at the end which was quite cute.

Tom’s style can be well worked and re-interpreted imo so I hope Hawkings will be more than an homage payer.
but there are already small different details that we can spot I believe. hoping for the best with the next collection.

 

[eugenius]

None of this my style..at alll. And even when I win that $20 bazillion lotto ticket, I doubt I'd check into his store in NYC.

That said, he definitely succeeded in making a visually stunning runway show. It's all eye-candy and nothing more to me, so I'll take it.

 

[Caffeine]

Isn't it what (old fashioned) Gucci is supposed to be? Beautifully made classics. Love it.

 

[tricotineacetat]

We have to take into consideration that Peter Hawking took over the creative helm at a house with an untarnished name, on top of that one whose market potential has not yet been fully ‚exploited‘ - I think when you have that as a starting point, it only makes sense to do a gentle evolution and not to steer too far from the brand DNA in the first season. Very much like how Anthony Vaccarello did with Saint Laurent.

Tom Ford‘s retail presence still has decent space for expansion. It‘s small compared to Saint Laurent and Gucci, even if the highly successful cosmetics helped to establish the name as a top luxury player. But for that it needs to be certain the brand stays consistent to the founding DNA whilst gently moving it into a new direction. I think Hawking did exactly that here - Let‘s see how that translates in the coming seasons, also art direction wise.

 

[style_expert]

^couldn't agree more, I think it was just the right debut collection for the brand at this moment. I love how unapologetically and quintessentially Tom Ford it is. The execution was almost flawless.

 

[bluestar]

Gorgeous! I want so many of the pieces. This is more of what Gucci should have been today imo.

 

[JohannesL]

Hawkings has made me fall in love with the old Gucci again.

 

[Lola701]

Gorgeous! I want so many of the pieces. This is more of what Gucci should have been today imo.

Isn’t it time for Gucci to move from the shadows of Tom Ford the man, considering that Tom Ford the brand exist?

 

[gazebo]

You're all being so kind.

It's Ford by Shein.

A debut can't be safe, spiacielly not for Tom Ford, whose been known for bringing it with a bang; don't care about the suits (the ones he showed or otherwise).

At least try to make a sexual revolution.
Serving cold leftovers is not it.

 

[LadyJunon]

Show video:

 

[gazebo]

Isn’t it time for Gucci to move from the shadows of Tom Ford the man, considering that Tom Ford the brand exist?

I don't think it's about moving on or sticking to it, I think it's about making it work.

Can you really negate Ford from the Gucci legacy? He's practically the brand in the public's eye.

Vacarello references Ford, which in the YSL universe is smaller, and he makes it work.

 

[Lola701]

I don't think it's about moving on or sticking to it, I think it's about making it work.

Can you really negate Ford from the Gucci legacy? He's practically the brand in the public's eye.

Vacarello references Ford, which in the YSL universe is smaller, and he makes it work.

Fair enough…
But I think the beauty about Vaccarello is that it’s less obvious or simply because Ford for YSL is less engraved in people’s mind.

‘The problem when someone references Gucci by Tom Ford is that it’s very obvious. Look at this ANCORA (I hate that word already that I will through him around everytime)…Spring 1999: almost nothing changed from the top he took inspiration from.

 

[HazJW]

Who cares if this is a Tom Ford simulacrum tbh. It's cool as f*ck.

 

[HazJW]

Who cares if this is a Tom Ford simulacrum tbh. It's cool as f*ck.

*(I say this as someone aware of what 'a Tom Ford look' is, but without the wider knowledge of his specific codes and ideas and history of past work, so if Hawkings is just knocking off the boss' greatest hits, then fair enough, the criticism is warranted - but from what I've seen over the years, he's transformed some Fordisms into something very modern and cool).

 

[Machinegumm]

It's fine. Very "Tom Ford starter pack".

 

[yslforever]

We have to take into consideration that Peter Hawking took over the creative helm at a house with an untarnished name, on top of that one whose market potential has not yet been fully ‚exploited‘ - I think when you have that as a starting point, it only makes sense to do a gentle evolution and not to steer too far from the brand DNA in the first season. Very much like how Anthony Vaccarello did with Saint Laurent.

Tom Ford‘s retail presence still has decent space for expansion. It‘s small compared to Saint Laurent and Gucci, even if the highly successful cosmetics helped to establish the name as a top luxury player. But for that it needs to be certain the brand stays consistent to the founding DNA whilst gently moving it into a new direction. I think Hawking did exactly that here - Let‘s see how that translates in the coming seasons, also art direction wise.

Can you point me the "new direction" Hawkings is heading to ? I fail to see it.
I don't think they intend to expand the RTW retail, actually they let go a lot of retail space (including the Paris flagship which became another Dior store), it's too big of an investment. They have probably better returns by focusing on glasses and beauty.

 

[Nimsay]

I mean Tom only sold the brand because it never became Hermes 2 like he originally planned. Its really been seriously downgraded in customers eyes. He spent a million on that Jay Z song just to stop making real Croco bags and started producing embossed Croco.

Like i said before. I see why Gucci let him go without issue. Its pretty clear Guccis design team was pulling a huge amount of weight. IIRC he wanted part of Gucci Group in order to stay. Tom reissuing the Mombasa under his own line was kinda the death knoll. And reissuing the 2003 steel heels. Why cant he design another it bag? Or it shoe? Oh because they were all designed by Guccis team who he no longer has access to.

hes basically Brioni with an expansive beauty line.

 

[Lola701]

Can you point me the "new direction" Hawkings is heading to ? I fail to see it.
I don't think they intend to expand the RTW retail, actually they let go a lot of retail space (including the Paris flagship which became another Dior store), it's too big of an investment. They have probably better returns by focusing on glasses and beauty.

I actually think that expanding retail is a goal for Zegna. I suspect that the RTW might go to a major overhaul now that everything is handle by the same team and manufacturer. I think in the beginning they went too fast with the expansion while not spending enough on marketing. I remember thinking how ridiculous to have a store Rue Cambon and Rue Francois 1er when only the menswear operation was mature enough to justify it. Eventually, rue Cambon closed because when you release images of the collection just when they comes to the stores, organise shows periodically, decide to show in the US, you are shrinking your market a little bit…
At least, the brand is present in London and Milan, NYC, LA and all the big cities but a presence in Paris is necessary to really settle the position of the brand.

The good thing is that overall, the brand has some great foundations to build from.

And it’s not like they will sell merch with the Tom Ford logo on. Luckily the very successful menswear has managed to be quite understated in that aspect considering the perception people have of the brand.

 

[SophiaVB]

The brand has lost a lot of desirability and the product strategy has been lost for a few years now. A few months ago I was walking Bergdorf's clearance rack and there were awful $700 TF logo sneakers + velour tracksuits at 60% off. They need to re-center the brand and this is at least a good attempt at reiterating the core DNA. Otherwise, the campaigns have been the same for a decade and there's a lot of opportunity in retail + accessories.

I'm curious how this ends up looking next to the new Gucci brand direction since Ford's era was probably one of the better merchandised and most wearable eras. A lot of the show looked most inspired by his work.

 

[Lola701]

The brand has lost a lot of desirability and the product strategy has been lost for a few years now. A few months ago I was walking Bergdorf's clearance rack and there were awful $700 TF logo sneakers + velour tracksuits at 60% off. They need to re-center the brand and this is at least a good attempt at reiterating the core DNA. Otherwise, the campaigns have been the same for a decade and there's a lot of opportunity in retail + accessories.

I'm curious how this ends up looking next to the new Gucci brand direction since Ford's era was probably one of the better merchandised and most wearable eras. A lot of the show looked most inspired by his work.

Exactly! But looking at Zegna and how they are handling Thom Browne, I don’t worry about it. And judging by Peter’s comments, he seems very aware of that.
And I really hope that international shipping will finally be available on their e-shop.

But I really think that Peter will go even more on the Gucci road because the Gucci years were more versatile than the namesake brand.