Peter Hawkings - Designer

[reese06]

They need to revamp the runway shows or something. The website presents a better direction than what the runway shows allude.

 

[Creative]

I was surprised that Tom threw shade to him. I mean, I love a little bit of fashion drama, but I would have expected him to remain quiet (well, maybe not really) after his “sanloran” (I love how TF pronounces it) years.

 

[LadyJunon]

They need to revamp the runway shows or something. The website presents a better direction than what the runway shows allude.

Really? I usually don't like Betak's overblown approach to runway shows, but I quite like the visual direction they did for Tom Ford. A dark room with focused lights might be a somewhat cliché setting, but it's still effective in visual impact. What direction would you go in instead.

SS24




FW24

 

[Creative]

I am ready to receive all the fashionspot hate, but I think Peter’s show was the best ever under Tom Ford’s name. I’m not saying it was great, but at least a little bit more sleek than what we were used to.

Tom Ford fashion under his own name has been a nightmare tbh. I love him as much as the next person, but let’s not pretend that he was doing a great job.

I think it’s kinda childish (which I adore) to be that shady.

 

[Lola701]

Really? I usually don't like Betak's overblown approach to runway shows, but I quite like the visual direction they did for Tom Ford. A dark room with focused lights might be a somewhat cliché setting, but it's still effective in visual impact. What direction would you go in instead.

SS24




FW24

Long catwalks with struggling walkers…No.
I liked the choreography of Tom shows. I like that Peter changed it in something more relatable to him but this is not working.

I am ready to receive all the fashionspot hate, but I think Peter’s show was the best ever under Tom Ford’s name. I’m not saying it was great, but at least a little bit more sleek than what we were used to.

Tom Ford fashion under his own name has been a nightmare tbh. I love him as much as the next person, but let’s not pretend that he was doing a great job.

I think it’s kinda childish (which I adore) to be that shady.

3 of my all time favorite Tom Ford collections are at his own brand. I think FW2012, SS2015 and his debut collection were fabulous (I loved a lot of collections under his own name actually).

The only difference between Tom and Peter is that Peter doesn’t have a glorious past to compete with. Tom started with a disadvantage and expectations. It’s a bit like what people are trying to do with Phoebe today.

Peter’s work is very digestible, commercial, slick and maybe familiar. And maybe that’s what people want in general from a brand like Tom Ford.

I have yet to see a fashion statement. One thing that I will never blame Tom for is always making a fashion statement, even if at his own brand, it worked less than at Gucci and YSL.

But maybe my constant quest for a fashion statement is loosing me. I’m championing Daniel Lee, Nicolas, Phoebe…etc. Maybe I’m on the wrong side of history. They aren’t the most popular voices it seems..

 

[THD96]

The only difference between Tom and Peter is that Peter doesn’t have a glorious past to compete with. Tom started with a disadvantage and expectations. It’s a bit like what people are trying to do with Phoebe today.

Peter’s work is very digestible, commercial, slick and maybe familiar. And maybe that’s what people want in general from a brand like Tom Ford.

I have yet to see a fashion statement. One thing that I will never blame Tom for is always making a fashion statement, even if at his own brand, it worked less than at Gucci and YSL.

But maybe my constant quest for a fashion statement is loosing me. I’m championing Daniel Lee, Nicolas, Phoebe…etc. Maybe I’m on the wrong side of history. They aren’t the most popular voices it seems..

What kind of fashion statement do you expect Peter to deliver? Do you want him to relive Tom's glorious Gucci/YSL days, which I don't think Peter will ever be able to do? Tbh I don't think even Tom wants his brand just to live in the past, even if it was fabulous, what’s done is done, let’s move forward.

Based on the reaction to his first few collections, it's impossible to please everyone, but looking back people weren't exactly happy with Tom's last few collections (personally, I love them, they're audacious, it’s bad taste but it’s my taste).

Personally, I don't have a really strong opinion about Peter yet. His womenswear is fine, sexy yet still luxe. It's his menswear that I kinda worry about, his men aren't sharp or desirable.

Being Tom longest collaborator, I just hope he isn't becoming Virginie 2.0.

 

[Lola701]

What kind of fashion statement do you expect Peter to deliver? Do you want him to relive Tom's glorious Gucci/YSL days, which I don't think Peter will ever be able to do? Tbh I don't think even Tom wants his brand just to live in the past, even if it was fabulous, what’s done is done, let’s move forward.

Based on the reaction to his first few collections, it's impossible to please everyone, but looking back people weren't exactly happy with Tom's last few collections (personally, I love them, they're audacious, it’s bad taste but it’s my taste).

Personally, I don't have a really strong opinion about Peter yet. His womenswear is fine, sexy yet still luxe. It's his menswear that I kinda worry about, his men aren't sharp or desirable.

Being Tom longest collaborator, I just hope he isn't becoming Virginie 2.0.

The name I’ve throwing around, even when it was announced that Tom was leaving his own brand, was Alexandre Vauthier! You see his work, you see fashion. It has the intention and energy of fashion.

What kind of statement I want from Peter? Surely not the Tom Ford for Gucci/YSL. And unfortunately, it’s what he is trying to do. I’m afraid he might be The Frida Giannini (with better cut) of the Tom Ford brand.

For me it’s crucial to understand your time and your woman. I think Tom and Peter understands that. The Tom Ford man has evolved and now there’s an idea of a wardrobe for that man. Such thing doesn’t exist for the Tom Ford woman.

For me, Tom lost the plot when he moved to LA. Suddenly his environment was people in either tracksuits or eveningwear. So his shows became that when the root of his success was being able to speak to a modern, active woman.

Peter Hawkings so far has showed a lot of Party clothes with a strong dose of early 00’d energy. I’m kind of surprised to not have seen a lot of Tom Ford at Cannes…

 

[Norden]

From the surface Peter’s work is bringing the women’s a bit closer to the men’s. Which works to some degree in terms of clean brand building. But it lacks texture and this kind of hype that drives short term sales. From what I’ve seen so far I think it will be very comparable to what Virginie is doing at Chanel. Nothing new but softening the lines and marketability of quite simple clothes in terms of a fashion statement.

 

[TomBlanksFullFatMiuMiu]

Really? I usually don't like Betak's overblown approach to runway shows, but I quite like the visual direction they did for Tom Ford. A dark room with focused lights might be a somewhat cliché setting, but it's still effective in visual impact. What direction would you go in instead.

SS24




FW24

I love the set pictures a lot, they're giving me Nocturnal Animals LA rich lonely mansion chic
but from the catwalk videos, they didn't translate well in movement and from a single camera view

Also, Peter being a straight married family man, I find his work very polite and extremely unsexy
It is as if he is holding himself back and too afraid to upset people in our current woke and PC times
Somehow Tom Ford being a gay man, his work is more free and his men and women are more confident and joyous

Tom's ideal fantasy is like luxury hotel sex with strangers and enjoying life, while Peter's perfect life is a sexless marriage in a comfortable home, no argument at dinner would be a blessing kind of situation
Would you rather? I guess from a stable business side POV, the latter is safer but lacks all the allure...

 

[Phuel]

The name I’ve throwing around, even when it was announced that Tom was leaving his own brand, was Alexandre Vauthier! You see his work, you see fashion. It has the intention and energy of fashion.

What kind of statement I want from Peter? Surely not the Tom Ford for Gucci/YSL. And unfortunately, it’s what he is trying to do. I’m afraid he might be The Frida Giannini (with better cut) of the Tom Ford brand.

For me it’s crucial to understand your time and your woman. I think Tom and Peter understands that. The Tom Ford man has evolved and now there’s an idea of a wardrobe for that man. Such thing doesn’t exist for the Tom Ford woman.

For me, Tom lost the plot when he moved to LA. Suddenly his environment was people in either tracksuits or eveningwear. So his shows became that when the root of his success was being able to speak to a modern, active woman.

Peter Hawkings so far has showed a lot of Party clothes with a strong dose of early 00’d energy. I’m kind of surprised to not have seen a lot of Tom Ford at Cannes…

Maybe Estee Lauder is too frugal or can’t compete with the other corporations to get the brand in at Cannes?

I also hoped Peter would impress with some… effort. It’s not unreasonable to expect Peter to raise— even if just a tad, to refresh what he’s been very experienced with all these years, working as Tom’s righthand man. Sarah was able to offer her impressively refined and studied version of McQueen, as his righthand woman; even if it did take her quite a while— and unfortunately was replaced by a 13yo’s ideal of fashion once she established her own refinement of the brand LMFAO Maybe that’s why Peter is so cautious on offering anything that may disrupt the Tom Ford staples? If I’m in an generous mood, he’s biding his time... (But to expect him to reach Vauthier's level of creativity-- or for Vauthier to lead the brand, is unreal in this current era of mediocrity.)

In this extremely immature fashion era, it makes sense for Peter to remain more cautious in taking any risks. Continuing what Tom had already established as profitable products just makes sense. Because, the products actually look much improved, still desirable and covetable on the racks. Again, my issue with him has always been the branding: It’s just visually cheapening— not that the last days when Tom was with his brand wasn’t already cheapening… And it’s really not that hard to refresh the brand’s image with a fresh direction. The product can remain same old same old— because as much as we adore Tom, after Gucci and YSL, his own label just didn’t compare in terms of creative innovation. The branding is so frustrating when it easily needn’t be. I’m the least expected person to be wearing Tom Ford— but it’s the only brand that I still buy at retail in this current fashion climate. The brand’s certain separates still possesses that anonymity to blend in seamlessly with my wardrobe next to other designers. There are still those of us that don’t want to advertise the labels we wear.

 

[Lola701]

I love the set pictures a lot, they're giving me Nocturnal Animals LA rich lonely mansion chic
but from the catwalk videos, they didn't translate well in movement and from a single camera view

Also, Peter being a straight married family man, I find his work very polite and extremely unsexy
It is as if he is holding himself back and too afraid to upset people in our current woke and PC times
Somehow Tom Ford being a gay man, his work is more free and his men and women are more confident and joyous

Tom's ideal fantasy is like luxury hotel sex with strangers and enjoying life, while Peter's perfect life is a sexless marriage in a comfortable home, no argument at dinner would be a blessing kind of situation
Would you rather? I guess from a stable business side POV, the latter is safer but lacks all the allure...

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But Tom’s ultimate woman, Carine Roitfeld, was living a very polite, bourgeois life. So it’s more about the power of fantasy than the reality of a wild lifestyle.

Tom probably had more fun in his youth than during the corporate life of his YSL/Gucci years (even if he indulged in excess sometimes). But in reality, Tom’s fashion wasn’t that shocking. It was about the attitude, the allure. It was really about classic American sportswear informed by French fashion.

Tom’s clothes never had the level of shock value of Gianni or Azzedine for example.

Talking about Azzedine, when you look at the man, hear the names of the women he was dressing before creating his own brand, understand his life story, it’s almost impossible to believe what he ended up doing in terms of fashion. The power of fantasy…

I think that anyway when he man designs, it’s his relationship with the women he is surrounded with that is interesting to analyse in his work. I just don’t want Tom Ford as an esthetic to be as safe and predictable as what we saw in the FW2024.
The fully sheer shiny catsuit was so predictable, so cliché but actually not Tom Ford at all for example.

Roberto Cavalli was a straight man, with a wife, who was really involved in the creative process but I think their work was more complex than what it became under the direction of others. But on the other hand you have Phillip Plein who seems to design only with his wood on one hand…

 

[avonlea002]

But to expect him to reach Vauthier's level of creativity-- or for Vauthier to lead the brand, is unreal in this current era of mediocrity

I like Vauthier a lot but creativity is not the quality I would associate with his brand. He has the eye, the taste and skill but there was never much to talk about design wise. The shows were like moving VP eds by Alt.
Hawkings doesn't have the confidence of Ford and that's the issue for me.

 

[Phuel]

^^^Fair enough.

Creative achievements and accomplishments are measured in different and varying heights. Not all designers are on the same level: Tom, OG Helmut, Hedi and preRaf-Muiccia are my first fashion loves— and the designers I wear. But they’re not on the level of Gaultier, McQueen, Rei and Galliano in design and creative vision, all of whom I don’t wear but admire. And a designer like Vauthier, although not on the level of the Greats; he’s in the same creative level as someone like Phoebe Philo: Solid offerings clearly inspired by greater talents, but they both make it their own.

(BTW, I hope Peter knows better than to return the label to that era of Tom Ford x Terry Richardson imagery that was brashly vulgar, trashy and sleazy fun. It worked for that time, but to do so now, would be desperately cool mom cringe. And someone like Jon is just way too camp and Zoolander— and if I’m being kind, he’s the male equivalent of Coco Rocha, and I can’t stand her.)

 

[LadyJunon]

@Phuel described my feelings on the brand perfectly.

In terms of products, I think that Hawkings did a very good job. Zegna wants to feminise the brand to act as a contrast against Zegna and Thom Browne, so the direction of the womenswear is very important for the brand's future. Paring it back did wonders for womenswear, which definitely feels more real and convincing with the heavier focus on tailoring and separates. The menswear feels a bit too conservative and could do with a touch of that Studio54 louche-ness, but it should work for the brand anyway.

I like the revised art direction, but it's too cold and serious. Olympic-length runway setups are cool, but such a setup like that really requires a cast of strong walkers. They also need to convince Galiegue to drop the bluish lighting for the campaigns. If they want to continue down the p*rno-chic vein, they could trying shifting towards a more self-serving sexiness rather than a naked woman ironing a man's trousers. They also need to invest in an actual red-carpet operation (Cannes, Oscars, etc), that can produce custom eveningwear to act as the brand's halo.

 

[Phuel]

^^^I want him to succeed, despite my harsh criticism of him. If for nothing else but that he’s pushing an unapologetically elitist decadence, a disciplined, a bespoke sensibility that’s going against all the one-size-fits-all outlet clownery in corporate fashiondom just to make that trillion profit margin to compete with Shein/Alibaba/Temu.

The brand is beyond fashion at this point, while still being coveted and pined for my those hungry to flex. You don’t see a brand like Ralph Lauren being so coveted, of which would be the closest in terms of an American legacy monolith to the Tom Ford label. Peter refining the womenswear thus far to the solid structure of the menswear’s bespoke strengths can only be a good thing, because Tom himself had taken the womenswear to a certain level of tackiness that simply wasn’t tolerable anymore. It’s just not fun /cute/cheeky when a midlife crisis seems desperate to be down with the kidz. There’s still the footwear and the bags that are in desperate need of a strong and talented team to conjure magic like Tom’s Gucci days. Back then, even a leather woven chair was smouldering.

If I were a shiny and new designer, the Tom Ford brand, along with his Gucci and YSL are what I’d be devouring as an education and business plan. He really had one of the best team to build his impeccable worlds. (…Never cared for designers’ private lives— but, the shot of Tom and Stefano working together was always rip for naughty, porny fanfic…)

 

[rowjellies]

Apparently, Peter Hawkings is out as creative director of Tom Ford.

 

[GERGIN]

Apparently, Peter Hawkings is out as creative director of Tom Ford.

Can you elaborate or give us context?

 

[rowjellies]

Can you elaborate or give us context?

Reported by Lauren Sherman. Announcement slated for Monday morning before the markets open.

 

[LadyJunon]

Designers usually have contracts set to 3 to 4 years, so he must've left on his own volition (probably decided after the stint at the Met Gala). It's a shame, because it was the first time that I really liked what Tom Ford's eponymous label did.

Zegna has a 30 year licence on the fashion department, so if this triggers a whole designer carousel, it will be very messy for them.

 

[Lola701]

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Designers usually have contracts set to 3 to 4 years, so he must've left on his own volition (probably decided after the stint at the Met Gala). It's a shame, because it was the first time that I really liked what Tom Ford's eponymous label did.

Zegna has a 30 year licence on the fashion department, so if this triggers a whole designer carousel, it will be very messy for them.

He was probably fired…
And there are maybe issues internally with the team or the projection on sales is not promising.
They have opened a few stores recently in Asia and Italy anyway.

You don’t leave a brand because Tom wore YSL at the Met Gala. It’s ridiculous.
They dressed a Co-chair and his wife.

That being said, knowing Italians, they may have consulted Tom.