Tom Ford presented his autumn/winter 12 collection in a series of private appointments that left editor’s gasping for more.
Tom Ford’s Sunday presentation was a highlight of London Fashion Week. The American designer forwent a catwalk show to personally present his collection to a select group of editors. As always cameras and mobile phones were strictly prohibited, allowing guests to focus solely on the clothes. i-D cover stars Lindsey Wixson and Saskia de Brauw, alongside a host of other big name models, were on hand to showcase each look and looked stunning in the super luxe collection of evening dresses, exotic skins, leathers and fur. Dressed in a smart black tuxedo, Mr. Ford took on the role of an old-school couturier, passionately talking through his inspirations, explaining fabric detail and cut. “There’s something for women of all ages,” he informed with a smile. “There’s something for my mother who’s 65, something for my sister who’s 45, and there’s something for a 25-year-old too. As long as she has a rich husband!” he quipped. The collection was the ultimate in luxury dressing and included a red Alpaca fur jacket, an elegant white column dress with detachable floor-length cape, a striped skunk fur bolero and a stretchy jersey black crocodile dress, which Mr. Ford proudly explained had each scale stitched together by hand. “I must have been inspired by Russian spies,” Mr. Ford joked as Magdalena Frackowiak stepped out in a luxurious skintight black leather pencil skirt and sculptural black leather jacket with crocodile skin bra peeping through. Espionage was a seductive thread that ran through the whole collection, amping up the sex appeal. With oversized shades shielding their eyes, and gold tipped stilettos on their feet, Mr. Ford’s women resembled a tribe of super sexy Bond girls on a mission to make the world a more glamorous place one outfit at a time.
Text: Holly Shackleton
Portrait: Simon Perry
Click here to see our AW12 Womenswear coverage in full.
