LONDON — If I hadn’t known the Tom Ford menswear presentation was today, I’d have guessed it anyway. A friend whose office happens to be in the same building as Ford’s texted me at 9 a.m.: “There are two hot male models opening the front doors for everyone. I’m going to be smoking a lot today.”
It was a trademark move for the brand — along with refusing to release images immediately — and the setting was equally unmistakable: Plush grey furnishings, no natural light, the heady fragrance of Tom Ford candles, and the usual sprinkling of models in suits, handing out drinks and taking coats. With the journalists at my appointment dressed almost exclusively in black, the event had the feel of a designer funeral parlor.
That is, until we walked into the huge showroom dedicated to the collection, which can accurately be summed up as: Everything, in every color. Ford was on hand to present his favorite pieces. Spring 2014 sees the return of the bestselling jacket silhouette he developed for Daniel Craig — plus the introduction of T-shirts, which he warily described as “a little pared down for us” but insisted were of luxury quality.
Along with those, Ford chose “soft shoes with everything.” They’re mostly tasseled velvet slippers in bright, eye-popping prints and beautifully hand-embroidered tapestry.
As usual, there were no photographers allowed, so we’ll have to wait until the brand coyly releases a lookbook.
