Tom Ford’s viewing of his A/W 2014 line at London Collections: Men was a private viewing event. Guests were greeted by tuxedo-clad gentleman who promptly traded their overcoats for a glass of champagne as they relaxed on suede couches awaiting the presentation.
The group was then brought into the showroom for a rundown of the collection by Tom Ford himself. Tom Ford’s enthusiastic narrative of each piece was complemented by a mini in-showroom catwalk of models arriving on cue as he described the different elements.
Velvet blazer with casual shoe (photo courtesy of Tom Ford)
The collection itself was very diverse, with outerwear including everything from 1960s inspired jacquard smoking jackets to down-filled suede blazers, duffel coats, weather proof rain macs, trench coats, moleskin, sheepskin and biker jackets. Tom emphasised his love of the oversized top piece paired with a skinny cropped bottom as cashmere and wool knitwear pieces emerged including turtlenecks, hoodies and jumpers paired with narrow silhouetted velvet and wool bottoms.
1960s inspired jacquard smoking jacket (photo courtesy of Tom Ford)
Footwear was exquisitely handcrafted, many of the formal leather options taking three days to finish due to a special polishing technique which requires twenty four hour drying time in between treatments to achieve the proper colour tone. And for the more casual shoe, Tom Ford comments, “I said I’d never do a white canvas shoe because everybody has done that, but a tennis shoe made of white velvet is exquisite.”
Sheepskin coat (photo courtesy of Tom Ford)
The main colour palette was a mixture of black (Tom Ford’s favourite colour) and ivory pieces sat alongside many bold, fierce statement colours like spicy orange, royal purple, moss green, aqua, plums and saffrons. Fabrics were of the highest luxury standard and included textured jacquards and velvets, soft leathers and suedes, cashmeres that weigh “nothing”, and finely crafted hand-twisted peruvian yarns.
Fur-hooded trench coat (photo courtesy of Tom Ford)
After revealing the collection, guests were encouraged by Ford to use the remaining viewing time to explore the showroom, to touch and feel the fabrics, inspect inner linings and discover the important elements and details that only the finest luxury design could provide.
by Cynthia Gregoire