Tom Ford : Life after Gucci #2

[arlekindearrabal]

^^^ Oooohhhh yes, I do adore that collection (except for the Vegas-stripper shoes) and the Rock-chic imagery: Wise investment, Lola! There was a tease of his Gucci-days there, which I don’t mind from time to time as long as he builds from that rather than just repeat— like so many designers will do. For me, Tom's outlived the hype and the gimmicks, and has maintained his place in high fashion's parthenon.

People can accuse him of being irrelevant all they want, but I always get the impression that it’s usually people who are going by what they see on the interweb rather than making the effort to see his designs up close and personal in his shops.

(A Singel Man remains so good, I hope the new film will succeed on the same level again: Storytelling, characterization, soundtrack, styling and cinematography. Although, Jake being the lead is what’s holding me back from squealing for this new film. Just don’t like him.)

Same. He does not strike me as a Tom Ford man, at all. Will have to wait and see.

 

[dior_couture1245]

People can accuse him of being irrelevant all they want, but I always get the impression that it’s usually people who are going by what they see on the interweb rather than making the effort to see his designs up close and personal in his shops.

Exactly. His clothes are impeccable in person. The finest fabrics, the finest leathers, the finest embroideries, the finest craftsmanship, and the finest finishing on the market, in my opinion. Hermes-level quality. The man knows luxury. I would challenge any of his naysayers - men or women - to not want to leave his stores with a shopping cart full of product.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Yeah— and they actually fit a man’s body well— not just an eighteen-year-old model’s body, but those of us not blessed with being 6’2”, long legs and still a size Eur 48. Unless you’re one of those that prefer pants to shorten your legs and shirts that droop your shoulders to a non-existence-- for a fashion statement, then of course Tom’s designs would be completely irrelevant to you.

arlekindearrabal: Looks aside— and Jake's face does instantly reminds me too much of a mudskipper fish with his googly eyes and freakishly wide mouth, he’s not a bad actor but he just gives off a creepy vibe to me. And creepy is just not something I associate with the Tom Ford brand LOL

Now if Henry Cavill was the lead…

 

[Creative]

One can be irrelevant yet can have an impeccable product. Two different things. Alaïa is the perfect example. Tom Ford is totally irrelevant yet he has good products in stores.

Tom Ford was relevant more than a decade before. Right now he isn't (just as 98% of the designers). It's not bad. Tfsers can't deal with reality...

 

[dior_couture1245]

^^I don't think any of us would deny that Tom isn't the industry leader he once was, but I still would give him credit for making fantastic product - and for being adaptable and clever...all the bitching and moaning about too many seasons and too many collections and designer burnout and too many shows, etc. Tom seems to be one of the few who actually seems to be open to and interested in alternative ways of presenting his work.

TFS'ers have difficulty dealing with reality? If I remember correctly, you seemed to have a hard time with the reality that Kendall Jenner would have a Vogue Paris cover...

 

[Creative]

TFS'ers have difficulty dealing with reality? If I remember correctly, you seemed to have a hard time with the reality that Kendall Jenner would have a Vogue Paris cover...

No. I accept it. She's relevant. But she's not a legend.

Tom is not relevant. Tom is a legend. Tom has great products.

Voilà.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ That's a very good point, Creative.

I suppose I’m at a point in my life where I greatly prefer to look more timeless than on-point trendy.

It’s so cringe-inducing to me to see a photo where you can clearly tell the year (even the month LOL) simply by how the individuals look/ dress. In that sense, someone like Tom is much more relevant to me— even if he may be irrelevant in the current state of high fashion. I’m fine with that.

 

[Creative]

It’s so cringe-inducing to me to see a photo where you can clearly tell the year (even the month LOL) simply by how the individuals look/ dress.

But it's been like that for more than a hundred years. I can tell the exact year of a garment just by looking at a decontextualized picture. If it has hair and make-up it's even easier. And when I'm wrong it's just by two or three years. Even in Tom Ford's case you can tell it.

The point is that he has no voice in the fashion industry anymore. But it's not a problem. I don't really get why people take that as an offense. He's the new Bill Blass of American fashion. Or the new de La Renta. Or the new Norell. He has his style and that's it. No designer in the world looks at his work and is inspired by it. He doesn't create trends. He's just there doing what he wants to do.

And I'd say he is a little bit lost. It's like he is testing everything, taking shots in the dark... First a private show in NY, then presentations, then London, the L.A, then STREAMING a collection, then a music video, then... I don't know. It's like he has no credibility anymore. And his clothes from a 'fashion' point are really nothing. You go to the store and be like because there are great individual pieces, well-design by his team, perfectly crafted... but as a whole his womenswear line doesn't make sense. At least to me. His menswear is another thing.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ That’s just it for me. His shows nowadays are irrelevant, and I don’t care where he’s showing and who’s in his shows at this point. The clothes in the shops are what I’m interested in because I can wear them my way and they fit seamlessly into my existing wardrobe, and into my life— not as styled by the brand. The pitch, the gimmick, the branding is completely irrelevant to me, and he doesn’t need to do that anymore: I’m beyond sold.

No doubt he’s been floundering with his Tom Ford presentaions where once during his Gucci reign, the designs, the campaigns, the shows and the attitude was visionary. Although, when he does stumble into a decent production— as in his women’s S/S runway presentation, and the S/S 2016 video, it’s still good and a humble addition to his legend.

(And it’s good to see Tom have a bit of fun, like in the video.)

 

[Lola701]

^^
I think that what "killed" Tom Ford was his past in a way. People will always remember his first 3 collections which were very 70's, sexy and everything but as a fan (and as many people) i loved when he started to push thing forward, to take risk and to really shock in a way.

When we heard that he will comeback, people expected (myself included) from him to come and "boom!" present a very sexy and minimalist collection. I expected something similar to his ss 2001 Gucci & YSL collections or even his ss 1998 collection.

Designers were still inspired by his collections and we wanted a powerful voice against Phoebe Philo at Celine.

And when he cameback, the collection was fabulous and very Tom Ford but not what we have expected. It was a great strategy for him but it was so strange.

We have been used of seeing perfection with Tom. Perfect campaigns, perfect styling, perfect castings and suddenly the clothes were very fancy, the campaigns started to become inconsistent, working with Carine at the styling didn't gave the same results and the castings were questionable.

For a long time, i had the feeling that he didn't really knew what to do with his womenswear because of his menswear. At Gucci, mens & womens were equal but at his own brand, womens felt like an accessory to his menswear (even if his FW 2012 was very good).

I liked all his collections so far but i think that he knows now what he should do. His FW 2014 was almost a cleaned-up collection. It was more urban, less fancy and maybe too easy but since then, his work has been stronger & stronger.

Creative is totally right in a way when he is saying that he is not relevant in the fashion conversation. And imo he should not care.
I feel like he is in a better position as someone like Marc Jacobs who is very talented but who is totally absent from the fashion conversation once you have left the runway.

But i'm biased...I will always love Tom.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ That’s a very interesting, and important note that his Tom Ford womenswear doesn’t seems to be as clearly confident, as secure and as consistently sure as his Tom Ford menswear— where once with Gucci, they were very much on equal terms. Even with his YSL role, the design direction was very confident— but its clear even back then, he was moving away from his Gucci silhouette and that his YSL was much closer to his Tom Ford image.

It definitely doesn’t help that his presentations for his womenswear has been so schizophrenic— going from super-exclusive for friends-only to streaming…. That definitely damaged the public image of that solid-as-a-rock image he cultivated since the Gucci days to his Tom Ford menswear debut.I agree that at times, he came across… lost, when it comes to how to present the Tom Ford woman.

(BTW Lola, I am very glad you’re safe and posting— as I am for the rest of the French members here!)

 

[Chanelcouture09]

This should be fantastic. His menswear shows used to be phenomenal.

His products are the perfect combination between being wearable whilst remaining unique - and being the epitome of luxury. Tom has never pretended to be revolutionary, he has always stood by being a designer who designs for his clothes being commercial and to be worn. He understands commerce and what sells. Like many others here including myself would vouch for, seeing his clothes, in fact wearing his clothes, feel like nothing else.

 

[Lola701]

^^^ That’s a very interesting, and important note that his Tom Ford womenswear doesn’t seems to be as clearly confident, as secure and as consistently sure as his Tom Ford menswear— where once with Gucci, they were very much on equal terms. Even with his YSL role, the design direction was very confident— but its clear even back then, he was moving away from his Gucci silhouette and that his YSL was much closer to his Tom Ford image.

It definitely doesn’t help that his presentations for his womenswear has been so schizophrenic— going from super-exclusive for friends-only to streaming…. That definitely damaged the public image of that solid-as-a-rock image he cultivated since the Gucci days to his Tom Ford menswear debut.I agree that at times, he came across… lost, when it comes to how to present the Tom Ford woman.

(BTW Lola, I am very glad you’re safe and posting— as I am for the rest of the French members here!)

I don't believe that it was so much of a schizophrenia than a "clever" business move. I believe that at first he really wanted to make a statement but remember that he is an independent designer that had sold some of his art pieces to finance his womenswear. His first collection was as exclusive in the distribution as it was in the presentation.
His FW12 was a real hit. From the padlock pumps to the Paltrow dress and his infamous zipped "backless" dress, most of his "classics" came from that collection.
I'm sure that he decided to show on a runway again when his womenswear started to be more important in terms of sales.

Showing his menswear on the runway will maybe help his brand in terms of cohesion.

(Thank you Phuel. You're so kind. I'm also glad for the others french members. In these times, fashion is the best way to escape..)

 

[Chanelcouture09]

GQ December 2015; Tom Brady by Inez and Vinoodh - Wearing Tom Ford.


*GQ.com

 

[Lola701]

Tom Ford to Show Women’s Wear, Men’s Wear in New York in February

By Samantha Conti
TOM FORD HEADS TO NEW YORK: Tom Ford said Thursday he plans to show both his fall 2016 women’s wear and men’s wear collections in “small, intimate presentations” during New York Fashion Week, on Feb. 18.

Ford has held similar presentations at his London design headquarters in past seasons, but this is the first time he will present both the women’s and men’s collections together in New York in this format.

The designer had previously planned to present his fall 2016 men’s wear collection in London, as usual, but in a show format. However, a spokesman for the brand confirmed that the small, intimate presentations for men’s and women’s wear will take place in New York only.

Last week, the up-and-coming London designer Thomas Tait announced he was giving up the runway temporarily to do one-on-one appointments with press and buyers in Paris. As the time and commercial pressures of the catwalk increase, designers worldwide are looking for new ways of speaking to their audience.

“When I began my own company I wanted to create clothes with the highest level of workmanship and attention to detail,” said Ford. “Pieces that a customer would keep for life. This is one of the reasons that I launched my women’s collection in a small presentation in New York, where the audience could experience the clothes up close.

“In previous seasons, I have presented the collections in my London showroom to the press in an informal format that allows me to speak with journalists while they view and touch the clothes,” he continued. “As we all know, the way in which we show clothes, not only to the press, but also to the consumer, is changing.

“Right now, I think that a certain fluidity is necessary in regards to how we communicate with the consumer, and I have experimented with different formats recently,” said Ford. “The most important thing to me with a presentation is that it communicates the message of the season and the point of view of the collection.

“Next season, it feels right to return to a format that is intimate and shows the detail of the clothes. The intimacy of small presentations affords that. We launched our first women’s collection in New York in 2010 and opened our first store there in 2007. I am very excited to present both collections in New York,” he added.

Ford has been experimenting with different formats to traditional fashion shows for the past few seasons. For fall, he presented his fashion show before the Oscars in Los Angeles, and this past season, he presented his spring 2016 collection with a virtual fashion show featuring Lady Gaga and directed by Nick Knight.

Fall 2016 will mark the first time that Ford will show both collections in the U.S. together.

The company said the American market has become increasingly important for the brand, with retail flagships opening this year in Houston and Miami. Atlanta is slated to open in February 2016, and joins directly owned flagships in New York, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Dallas and Chicago.

wwd.com

 

[Lola701]

It's so funny to see that WWD is always making those stories about "where is Tom Ford showing this season" and always trying to make a comment on "how it's such a statement for the industry" when in fact, we all know that he is directing his movie in L.A. and that having small presentations or doing videos are the only way to do something less time consuming.

I'm pretty sure that he will comeback to his runway shows just in time for the promo tour of his film

 

[orchidee]

^I thought they already finished filming? But I agree, it's hardly as "groundbreaking" as they're making it seem.

I'm surprised he's not dragging everyone out to Hollywood in the middle of the shows like he did last year.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

^ He is still working on the film, its not finished yet. I think its cool he is focused on the movie, and scaled back on his presentations. He is such a pro!

 

[Chanelcouture09]

The movie was anticipated to be in post-production now as filming was expected to happen from September through the Fall/Winter season which is why we got the video shot by Nick Knight for his Spring Summer 2016 collection.

I think the reason there is always a buzz around his shows is because he is one of the most iconic designers in the calendar and every season he does something different in comparison to the likes of someone like Chanel or Vuitton who show in the same buildings/grounds each season (Grand Palais & Louvre, respectfully).

 

[dodencebt]

^ Well that was when Marc was still at Vuitton. For the last two years (or has it been more?) Ghesquière has been changing venues.