Tony Ward's FW25 collection merges feminine elegance with warrior strength through contrasting materials and Game of Thrones inspiration.
By Jesse Scott
Silk and steel are starkly contrasting materials. Yet their duality creates harmony in the Tony Ward woman, who combines femininity and fortitude to blossom into a modern iteration of the warrior princess. Ward's FW25 ready-to-wear collection, presented during Paris Fashion Week, possessed a particular ferocious elegance. Sumptuous velvet and delicate sheer tulle were balanced by intricate metallic details, adding both structure and mystery to a tapestry defined by ethereality.
"We had great fun designing the collection as we were inspired by the Game of Thrones theme," Ward told Rain inside his well-appointed Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré showroom. "There are a lot of 'Khaleesi' dresses." (Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, is both a hero and an anti-hero in the iconic HBO franchise, often referred to by her title "Khaleesi"). "And you see a lot of details of chains, layering, and embroidery," Ward continued. "We wanted to show how nice a woman could be, elegant, but also how tough she could be. She can be silky in bed but also a fighter."
Sweeping Collection Becomes Metaphor for Life
While it is a fantasy series, Game of Thrones' broad global resonance is largely due to its nuanced exploration of base emotions and profound if unintentional commentary on the human condition. Ward is unafraid to tackle grand themes in his own work and sees this collection as a metaphor for life that extends well beyond film or fashion. "Silk and steel are not contradictory; they go hand-in-hand just like sadness and happiness," he told Rain. "Sadness can be waiting for you in bed while you are taking lunch at the table. This is the story of our life; the deeper sadness you experience the more happiness you can feel and the more silky you want something the more steel you should use to make it tough." Does fashion imitate life or does life imitate fashion? At the current flashpoint, it's a "chicken or the egg" question, and it's one that a discussion with Ward, who weaves elaborate philosophical stories through intricate sartorial details, can help to unravel.
"My designs are enigmatic. I'm not a designer for everyone," Ward said. Dramatic silhouettes dominated the collection; these were looks for bold, brave women (Khaleesis, one could say) possessed of an inner grace but complex soul and supremely comfortable in their own skin. The colour palette was well-balanced. Dusty rose, light grey, and periwinkle blue provided soft femininity, while red, gold, and extravagantly bejeweled looks lent high drama to the collection.
Ward's Celebration of Self-Expression
Ward is a designer for the inherently fearless. The emphasis here is on the word "inherently" because Ward sees fashion as a canvas for expressing your true personality rather than projecting a carefully tailored image. "Elegance is being yourself," he told Rain. "The most important thing is to be yourself. People shouldn't try to fake it; they just need to be themselves and their inner elegance will be shown to the world."
It's a poignant view of fashion - simple, but too often lost in the noise of this frenetic social media age. Fantasy, whether Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, has long been one of our most powerful tools for illustrating reality. Ward accomplished the same with this dreamy, ambitious collection. We already can't wait to be drawn back into his universe next season.