TOM FORD AW25: Haider Ackermann Unveils New Era

Ackermann's daring debut AW25 collection reinvents the TOM FORD legacy with seductive glamour, impeccable tailoring, and unapologetic luxury

By Jesse Scott

A new era in fashion is dawning, and Haider Ackermann's TOM FORD is leading the vanguard. Everyone who witnessed the historic show on Wednesday in Place Vendome knew that they were experiencing something special; if the immense anticipation for Ackermann's Ford debut and the sheer elation from everyone on his team weren't telltale signs enough, the first few looks certainly were. Ackermann dared to dream.

Bold but always discerning, and with his finger firmly on the pulse of both the TOM FORD brand and the ethos of its legendary founder, he epitomized an unapologetic glamor and sophisticated sex appeal that fashion needs. Acutely cognizant of the current flashpoint, yet in conversation with the late-90s and early 2000s sensibilities that made the world fall in love with Ford, this was a collection for rockstars, supermodels, and dealmakers.

Equally strong on both the men's and women's sides, it was an unadulterated celebration of luxury, joie de vivre, and yes, swagger. Starboy-style leather to red-carpet ready tuxes, it proposed a full wardrobe for all occasions - with no weak links. The A-list guest list, including names like Kate Moss, Dove Cameron, and Jared Leto, seemed enraptured.

TOM FORD suits, for this editor and tailoring connoisseur, have always been iconic. But from material choice to sculptural silhouettes to a sleek color palette, Ackerman elevated the house to new heights this season. From the women's looks, an impeccably cut midnight black tux, shimmering like stardust and paired with a white boutonnière, immediately won my heart (Look 47).

So, too, did a dusty rose suit, daringly paired with a lime green shirt and perfect for the type of Mediterranean summer, spent at private parties and on secluded seasides, that novels are written about (Look 31). In a delightful and unexpected twist for a leather-heavy house, Ackermann committed to pastels then executed them sparingly and perfectly. "Colors of joy," he called them.

For men, a pastel green jacket with rich brown trousers and a caramel shirt (Look 34) was a highlight. A black jacket paired with vibrant purple pants and a seductive colour-gradient tie created the perfect synthesis between a business attitude and a bold personality (Look 33). Meanwhile, the more classic suiting packed an unbridled ferocity. A black double breasted suit worn with a black tie, a black shirt with a white collar, sunglasses, and leather gloves captured the iconic aura of American Psycho's Patrick Bateman. Indeed, almost all of the suits and coats were proposed with black leather gloves, a timeless and deadly combination.

The show notes, personally written by Haider, dictated: "Private rooms, in clubs, are the mysterious places where things happen that not everyone can access. That unattainability is a distance that charms, fueling desire. TOM FORD is a world of desire. It lures and seduces." This seductive ethos, neither masculine nor feminine but instead describing the beautiful and dangerous dance between the sexes. It tied the entire collection together.

A pale purple dress shimmered with sensuality (Look 38). A periwinkle blue robe, worn with a perfectly coiffed pocket square, recalled meetings in mahogany-ensconced offices and cigar lounges (Look 28). A cropped black jacket with accentuated angular shoulders exuded an irresistible London cool intrinsic to the city's many member's supper clubs and nightlife establishments (Look 45). A lethal red crocodile coat (Look 24) was both the most scintillating and representative piece of the collection.

The show was nightlife. Seeing black leather "tee-shirts" under sharply structured jackets (perhaps the most instantly iconic wardrobe staples of the new Ford era), I immediately commented to my colleagues: "This is what I would wear to a club." (Look 2, 4). Ackermann seemingly agrees. In his words, the showspace was "a chamber bathed in grey with guests seated on plush benches and steamy mirrors all around bearing traces of the night before."

From dramatically cut dresses to all-leather ensembles, the looks felt irresistibly dangerous. They lured you to a steamy mirror that revealed and delighted you by revealing the truth of the previous night…and an insatiable desire to relive it all.

The essence of the show was captured in the make-up worn by the models, all TOM FORD products. The Architecture Soft Matte Blurring Foundation and Illuminate Contour Duo enveloped faces in a sensual haze. Meanwhile, Scarlet Rouge and Unzip lipsticks and the Disclosure Gloss Luxe complemented the intoxicating sex appeal that the clothes embodied. The re-see saw guests introduced to the Oud Wood Parfum, which tempered the ferocity of oud with the luxurious sweetness of vanilla and cardamom for a well-balanced and seductive scent.

Ackermann dared to define seduction this season. From the show notes: "To seduce means to bring someone close, drawing a gaze, enticing touch, stimulating senses, rewarding discovery with surprise and beauty." It's a definition I embrace. And accordingly, one can consider me fully seduced by this dramatic debut show. Of Tom Ford the man, Ackermann stated: "He is nightlife, I am the morning after." Ackermann's morning after may be better than starlight and champagne, as his sun is only beginning to rise.