Peter Hawkings - Designer

[brandon J pierre]

This is a mistake, designers are not growing old and fashion houses anymore here today gone today. He only had two shows to develop a certain style and he did that also this guy worked for years for Tom Ford and menswear and the menswear was excellent and sold well

 

[LadyJunon]

This is a mistake, designers are not growing old and fashion houses anymore here today gone today. He only had two shows to develop a certain style and he did that also this guy worked for years for Tom Ford and menswear and the menswear was excellent and sold well

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His velvet and silk suits were really the epitome of serving c*nt and slayage. Such a refreshing departure from the oversized silhouettes plaguing fashion. I just know that his successor in going to deliver generic oversized, shapeless trash with linebacker shoulders.

 

[brandon J pierre]

His velvet and silk suits were really the epitome of serving c*nt and slayage. Such a refreshing departure from the oversized silhouettes plaguing fashion. I just know that his successor in going to deliver generic oversized, shapeless trash with linebacker shoulders.

Oh no! I'm seeing them trying to really just make things over the top s***** without any substance. Can anybody figure out what really happened here because something went down and it was dramatic. Hopefully the story comes out

 

[pvtrickng]

Not sure why. Peter’s first two collections were quite good actually.

 

[brandon J pierre]

Not sure why. Peter’s first two collections were quite good actually.

Very good infact.

 

[brandon J pierre]

All of this reminds me of Alessandra Facchinetti at Valentino. I think this is a very similar situation ! This is about ego. Valentino did not like Alessandra Facchinetti ! And had her kicked out it was a personal problem.

I think it's the same thing with Tom Ford and Peter! That's the situation!

YSL hated Tom Ford but had no power to kick him out. The Italians have more power when it comes to these types of things. And Tom Ford worked in Italy for years and knows how to play the game.
Anyone talking trash about they hate Peter's collections or whatever are very silly those were wonderful collection for brand building Tom Ford is a popular brand but it needs a lot of work and needs a lot of brand building for the future and for preservation this thing could still fall hard. They are not Chanel over there.
They cannot survive off men's Wear alone which is what they seems to be doing before Tom left.

But also Estee Lauder could get bored with all of this and just turn it into a perfume and lipstick brand. Because that's where the money is for them. Tom Ford lipstick perfumes a couple of bags and shoes is all they really need if you really sit down and think about it. So this is going to be an interesting 6 months for fashion in general lots of changes going on.

 

[Drusilla_]

I just know that his successor in going to deliver generic oversized, shapeless trash with linebacker shoulders.

the true curse of late 2010s fashion, that is HIDEOUS and has no redemption. so many good looks ruined by ill-fitting 'oversized shoulder' blazers
I'm sorry to see him go, I thought his first collections were a good start to 'post-Tom Ford' Tom Ford. I'd thought they would keep him for at least two years, so many designers these days seem to hardly get any time to establish a point of view at a label.

 

[Lola701]

All of this reminds me of Alessandra Facchinetti at Valentino. I think this is a very similar situation ! This is about ego. Valentino did not like Alessandra Facchinetti ! And had her kicked out it was a personal problem.

I think it's the same thing with Tom Ford and Peter! That's the situation!

YSL hated Tom Ford but had no power to kick him out. The Italians have more power when it comes to these types of things. And Tom Ford worked in Italy for years and knows how to play the game.
Anyone talking trash about they hate Peter's collections or whatever are very silly those were wonderful collection for brand building Tom Ford is a popular brand but it needs a lot of work and needs a lot of brand building for the future and for preservation this thing could still fall hard. They are not Chanel over there.
They cannot survive off men's Wear alone which is what they seems to be doing before Tom left.

But also Estee Lauder could get bored with all of this and just turn it into a perfume and lipstick brand. Because that's where the money is for them. Tom Ford lipstick perfumes a couple of bags and shoes is all they really need if you really sit down and think about it. So this is going to be an interesting 6 months for fashion in general lots of changes going on.

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You want Drama. I can understand as it is more exciting lol
There was this part in the article.

Sources said Hawkings was let go, and a Milan-based source said it was all “very sudden.”

Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was “no specific element that triggered” Hawkings’ departure, but attributed it to a mixture of reasons, specifically “to a lack of chemistry” with the designer’s team. Once he took on the top creative role, Hawkings “did not succeed in creating a team. In this industry, you need to make sacrifices, much is expected from the designers working with a creative director, so he or she, in turn, has to be there giving guidelines yes, but also listening, being part of the team, working together, without feeling entitled. You build a winning team if there is strong chemistry, and there was none in this case.”

Peter’s wife still follows the brand, for what is worth.

In Valentino’s case, it is important to note that Alessandra wasn’t his choice and his issue with her was that she didn’t « respected his heritage » which means, follow the archives.

I remember that Giorgio Armani was however very supportive of her.

I mean, we saw how happy he was when MGC and PPP presented their first collection. And then, we saw how displeased he was when they did the Avatar collection.

And for Yves, let’s be honest. Everybody in Paris know that the real issue was with Pierre Bergé. He was the mastermind behind everything because he went very hard to make Tom’s time in Paris very hard. Even the letter was probably written by him…
That being said, Yves stated that he only liked his campaigns LOL.

Peter was a great number 2. Sometimes, all numbers 2 aren’t supposed to be number 1. Frida is probably less talented than Alessandra and Alessandro but she got the job because her bags performed well.

Tbh, as a Tom Ford client and a fashion enthusiast, the departure of Peter is not a bad thing. I just hope that Joseph Altuzarra is not auditioning lol.

 

[brandon J pierre]

You want Drama. I can understand as it is more exciting lol
There was this part in the article.

Sources said Hawkings was let go, and a Milan-based source said it was all “very sudden.”

Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was “no specific element that triggered” Hawkings’ departure, but attributed it to a mixture of reasons, specifically “to a lack of chemistry” with the designer’s team. Once he took on the top creative role, Hawkings “did not succeed in creating a team. In this industry, you need to make sacrifices, much is expected from the designers working with a creative director, so he or she, in turn, has to be there giving guidelines yes, but also listening, being part of the team, working together, without feeling entitled. You build a winning team if there is strong chemistry, and there was none in this case.”

Peter’s wife still follows the brand, for what is worth.

In Valentino’s case, it is important to note that Alessandra wasn’t his choice and his issue with her was that she didn’t « respected his heritage » which means, follow the archives.

I remember that Giorgio Armani was however very supportive of her.

I mean, we saw how happy he was when MGC and PPP presented their first collection. And then, we saw how displeased he was when they did the Avatar collection.

And for Yves, let’s be honest. Everybody in Paris know that the real issue was with Pierre Bergé. He was the mastermind behind everything because he went very hard to make Tom’s time in Paris very hard. Even the letter was probably written by him…
That being said, Yves stated that he only liked his campaigns LOL.

Peter was a great number 2. Sometimes, all numbers 2 aren’t supposed to be number 1. Frida is probably less talented than Alessandra and Alessandro but she got the job because her bags performed well.

Tbh, as a Tom Ford client and a fashion enthusiast, the departure of Peter is not a bad thing. I just hope that Joseph Altuzarra is not auditioning lol.

Oh baby this drama is good. I just don't understand how we can level such a harsh criticism just after 3 collections. But it is what it is, what I would tell any young designers that moves to any fashion brand is to go in have fun and a make a statement and understand that you will be fired no matter how good you are or how much money you make it doesn't matter anymore.
No one is given time anymore Tom was given years before he got the hang of it.

 

[Xone]

“Tom Ford and chairman Domenico De Sole continued to serve as brand advisers through the end of last year.”

It was personal there is no way the didn’t were involved….

The chemistry with his team reason…it is valid point but not enough, sounds more like a justification.

 

[Lola701]

Oh baby this drama is good. I just don't understand how we can level such a harsh criticism just after 3 collections. But it is what it is, what I would tell any young designers that moves to any fashion brand is to go in have fun and a make a statement and understand that you will be fired no matter how good you are or how much money you make it doesn't matter anymore.
No one is given time anymore Tom was given years before he got the hang of it.

But fashion is supposed to be about a statement. And as a believer in fashion, that’s what I expect. Sometimes, it can be puzzling but generally, only strong statements matters! We saw it at Valentino with MGC and PPP. Their all black collection was a strong statement!

But Tom Ford at his own brand had already a legendary status. He proved himself for 10 years and he probably had at least 2/3 great collections at his own brand.

Speaking the fashion language means making statement. We see Ancora struggling to make a statement…

And Peter’s work, outside of his pantsuits, doesn’t scream confidence. However the campaigns were good. Tbh, even the beauty campaigns were lackluster with a cast of teenage looking girls lol.

The new designer’s debut will be FW2024. And I hope they won’t choose internally.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Tbh, as a Tom Ford client and a fashion enthusiast, the departure of Peter is not a bad thing. I just hope that Joseph Altuzarra is not auditioning lol.

It could be worse, LaQuan Smith could be auditioning.

Whatever the article mentions about is a bit vague and I can barely imagine the lacking dynamics in the studio would be so grief to let go of a designer within less than a year of presenting collections, when the product has barely had time to resonate with a buying audience. Such a premature determination of a contract comes at a hefty buy-out and usually doesn't happen unless something really bad happened there. I can only imagine the lukewarm commentary from Tom Ford's side to be a hint of interior quarrels, but then again, it's understood Peter Hawking was Tom's choice and his trusted right hand man for many years.

Also, the mentioning of a bigger focus on womenswear sounds very contradicting with closing the womenswear studio and putting the menswear design director in charge of the brand's entirety - They knew full well what that would lead into and the easiest would have been to put a designer more adept in dressmaking under his supervision to complement his tailoring expertise. His tailoring, outerwear and sportswear looked as good as one would expect from Tom Ford, good luck finding a designer that is good with all the different categories (including shoes and accessories)!

Tom had a decent amount of designers growing into prominence after working with him, from Alessandra to Frida to Clare. I wouldn't mind seeing any of these coming back, rather than considering someone like Martine Rose whose style has nothing in common with Tom Ford.

 

[Drusilla_]

^some iconic brands continue for years without a strong statement e.g. Viard at Chanel, and Peter Hawking's work was certainly better than that. I agree it just looks like he was pushed out, the 'more womenswear' thing is just a smokescreen it's not like they didn't know he was a menswear designer.

 

[tricotineacetat]

But fashion is supposed to be about a statement. And as a believer in fashion, that’s what I expect. Sometimes, it can be puzzling but generally, only strong statements matters! We saw it at Valentino with MGC and PPP. Their all black collection was a strong statement!

But Tom Ford at his own brand had already a legendary status. He proved himself for 10 years and he probably had at least 2/3 great collections at his own brand.

Speaking the fashion language means making statement. We see Ancora struggling to make a statement…

And Peter’s work, outside of his pantsuits, doesn’t scream confidence. However the campaigns were good. Tbh, even the beauty campaigns were lackluster with a cast of teenage looking girls lol.

The new designer’s debut will be FW2024. And I hope they won’t choose internally.

People love the strong statements and while we look back on collections from the early 2000s for rightful reference (such as many Nicolas Ghesquiere shows for Balenciaga), I think the bottom line is to constantly create products with a longer shelf life than the runways, much in the way of the Lariat motorcycle bag, the Rockstud pumps from Valentino or the Wyatt boots from Hedi's Saint Laurent.

Either way, it takes time to set a brand on a path and I think the shock tactics of super-editorial impactful shows are not what Tom Ford the brand needed. The narrative around Tom Ford always narrows down to the most gaudy aspects of his oeuvre and I think amplifying that to what has become normalized in the eyes of Gen-Z (much in the way people like LaQuan Smith interpret Tom Ford) is not the way to go. It's a brand whose women I relate with class and maturity, despite her sensual allure.

 

[Lola701]

It could be worse, LaQuan Smith could be auditioning.

Whatever the article mentions about is a bit vague and I can barely imagine the lacking dynamics in the studio would be so grief to let go of a designer within less than a year of presenting collections, when the product has barely had time to resonate with a buying audience. Such a premature determination of a contract comes at a hefty buy-out and usually doesn't happen unless something really bad happened there. I can only imagine the lukewarm commentary from Tom Ford's side to be a hint of interior quarrels, but then again, it's understood Peter Hawking was Tom's choice and his trusted right hand man for many years.

Also, the mentioning of a bigger focus on womenswear sounds very contradicting with closing the womenswear studio and putting the menswear design director in charge of the brand's entirety - They knew full well what that would lead into and the easiest would have been to put a designer more adept in dressmaking under his supervision to complement his tailoring expertise. His tailoring, outerwear and sportswear looked as good as one would expect from Tom Ford, good luck finding a designer that is good with all the different categories (including shoes and accessories)!

Tom had a decent amount of designers growing into prominence after working with him, from Alessandra to Frida to Clare. I wouldn't mind seeing any of these coming back, rather than considering someone like Martine Rose whose style has nothing in common with Tom Ford.

Oh not Laquan lol.
I know some people from Tom’s team in LA continued with Peter. But most of the Womenswear team under Tom left when he retired.
I totally believe the reports because Tom has personal relationships with Peter and his wife and except saying that he wanted Peter to push more, his comments weren’t that exciting.

I don’t read too much about him wearing YSL and Jacques Marie Mage at the Met.

People love the strong statements and while we look back on collections from the early 2000s for rightful reference (such as many Nicolas Ghesquiere shows for Balenciaga), I think the bottom line is to constantly create products with a longer shelf life than the runways, much in the way of the Lariat motorcycle bag, the Rockstud pumps from Valentino or the Wyatt boots from Hedi's Saint Laurent.

Either way, it takes time to set a brand on a path and I think the shock tactics of super-editorial impactful shows are not what Tom Ford the brand needed. The narrative around Tom Ford always narrows down to the most gaudy aspects of his oeuvre and I think amplifying that to what has become normalized in the eyes of Gen-Z (much in the way people like LaQuan Smith interpret Tom Ford) is not the way to go. It's a brand whose women I relate with class and maturity, despite her sensual allure.

Personally, because Tom Ford was a leading voice in fashion, I expect his brand to have some sort of resonnance in womenswear.
Personally, I enjoyed the eccentricity of Tom Ford womenswear but for me, the weakness of the brand was the lack of focus in daywear.

The success of his Gucci was great daywear, clothes people wears to work or their daily life. Men have that balance because Tom ultimately created a lifestyle brand for men but we didn’t have that. I bought the shoes, I have my Jennifer bag, my Tara bag, my Natalia bag but outside of some runway pieces, it’s not a brand I would go for a pair of jeans for example and weirdly I have some Vuitton jeans by Nicolas.

But the brand needs statements and not just great sequined gowns. I loved the spring 2015 collection. It wasn’t well received and the styling was maybe off but it was a statement and pieces like those jacquard pants cut like jeans that you could wear during the day. It felt very fashion.


Personally, I think if one person from Tom’s past can be involved in his brand now, it should be John Ray. He can be the design director for menswear under the creative Director.

Peter Hawkings could be good for Dunhill, Loro Piana or Berluti.

 

[LadyJunon]

@tricotineacetat @Lola701
You hit the nail right on the head.

TF's vision for women was very stroong in terms of who she was: sensual, extroverted, eccentric, almost like a hybrid of a Halstonette and a glamazon. The core issue is that he never really took the time of develop an actual wardrobe proposition. Unlike his man, who was defined by suede and leather bombers, slim-cut trousers, bow ties and the occassional goofy print, he never quite defined what the TF woman would graviate towards.

Peter Hawkings had a strong idea of what the TF could wear (heavily based on Gucci circa 1995-98), but I do admit that it came at the expense of the larger-than-life personality that is essential to TF. To add to that, the accessory game was really weak.

 

[tourbillions]

whoever is next needs to establish the tom ford woman if they want to grow. How is she different from the celine woman or sl woman? It could be just me because i dont really follow the brand but i have no idea who the tom ford woman is. And why she should exist in 2024 or any year at all. is she even invited to the parties of the celine and sl women?

 

[Lola701]

whoever is next needs to establish the tom ford woman if they want to grow. How is she different from the celine woman or sl woman? It could be just me because i dont really follow the brand but i have no idea who the tom ford woman is. And why she should exist in 2024 or any year at all. is she even invited to the parties of the celine and sl women?

She is not a Parisienne…Even though Carine Roitfeld is the ultimate Tom Ford woman. Let’s say that she doesn’t fit the stereotype of the Parisienne.

I don’t think Celine or the work of Hedi is nowhere near Tom Ford’s universe in terms of comparison.

But I think everybody has their own interpretation of a Tom Ford woman even if her representation has always been consistent from 1995 to 2023.

Now, as a customer, would I want to be invited at a YSL or Celine type of party? Surely not!

 

[Phuel]

Of course the Tom Ford women exists. She’s been there long before Tom Ford existed LOL She’s born of the blue blood women who history likely traced all the way back to The Mayflower. She’s quintessential old money of American aristocracy. Realistically, and in fashion terms, she’s every women around the world that understands the heritage of high fashion that’s beyond the flickering fashion moment that is Anthony’s fashion-for-dummies or even Hedi’s cool mums desperately-seeking-the-approval-of-kidz. And it’s unfortunate that even Tom forgot about this heritage in his last/final days designing for his own label. Maybe Peter never understood this, but that doesn’t cancel out the Tom Ford women. Whoever is chosen to helm this brand, needs to remember this. Whether Estee Lauder will allow this, is another story.

Tom was given years before he got the hang of it.

Not true at all. From his debut at Gucci, he made heads turn and people thirsting for the offering— from the clothes, to the bags and shoes, to the models that defined Gucci. He did not stumble, let alone "took years before he got the hang of it". His later, and final years have been a mess, but the man never stumbled when he debuted, not at Gucci, not at YSL, and absolutely not at his own namesake label.

 

[brandon J pierre]

Of course the Tom Ford women exists. She’s been there long before Tom Ford existed LOL She’s born of the blue blood women who history likely traced all the way back to The Mayflower. She’s quintessential old money of American aristocracy. Realistically, and in fashion terms, she’s every women around the world that understands the heritage of high fashion that’s beyond the flickering fashion moment that is Anthony’s fashion-for-dummies or even Hedi’s cool mums desperately-seeking-the-approval-of-kidz. And it’s unfortunate that even Tom forgot about this heritage in his last/final days designing for his own label. Maybe Peter never understood this, but that doesn’t cancel out the Tom Ford women. Whoever is chosen to helm this brand, needs to remember this. Whether Estee Lauder will allow this, is another story.



Not true at all. From his debut at Gucci, he made heads turn and people thirsting for the offering— from the clothes, to the bags and shoes, to the models that defined Gucci. He did not stumble, let alone "took years before he got the hang of it". His later, and final years have been a mess, but the man never stumbled when he debuted, not at Gucci, not at YSL, and absolutely not at his own namesake label.

Tom Ford first show at YSL was not received well but it was one of my favorite shows of his. But that because of the French and their love for the legacy of YSL.