No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Tom Ford, whose collections have been shown only in private viewings for the past two years – no catwalk photographs, no tweeting, no nothing, until the clothes are in stores – has agreed to give you, dear Guardian readers, an exclusive look at two exits from his spring/summer 2013 collection. Ye who have been starved of Ford: feast your eyes.
Ford does everything his own way. Take his LFW presentation: a private salon viewing, talking bondage knots with an urbane American millionaire. More Fifty Shades than your usual front-row chit-chat. The theme of the collection is chastity and perversion, after all. Bondage-style boots (there is a zip up the back, thankfully, otherwise they'd be a right faff at airport security) are worn with simple skirts and cosy sweaters. Fishscale sequins have a soft, plush shimmer and cocktail dresses offer a genuine jaw-drop moment with a scooped-out rear view.
When I commented to Ford that the clothes were not as pervy as the title suggests, he looked a little put out, and pointed out a swimsuit with a bottom completely bare, save for a vertical "jockstrap". That shut me up. But then, you never know what to expect from Tom. After I wrote a critical report of a previous collection he summoned me to Claridge's, bought me cocktails and thanked me for my candour. Ford is a one-off.
Is there a downside? Yes. The clothes are ruinously expensive. Seriously. You don't even want to know. But at least this time, you get to look at the picture.
The boots are the best part.
