Tom Ford‘s absence during New York Fashion Week, caused by COVID-19-related issues, was perceivable. The designer dropped a lookbook in the middle of the Paris schedule instead. Ford was a regular here during his Yves Saint Laurent days 20 years ago. The difference between then and now is that Ford’s been Californiafied – a casual element has infiltrated his collections since he moved to Los Angeles in the shape of tracksuits and other forms of athletic wear. That aside, he’s into chic, killer suits as well. Tailoring is one of the threads holding this season together, only these aren’t suits for the 9-to-5 grind. Designers have been thinking about after-hours suits, the kind women used to wear when we still went out to clubs. Ford was clearly feeling for something similar with his sumptuous velvets, satins, and faux furs, and the rich jewel tones he styled head-to-toe: sapphire velvet blazer-hoodie hybrid and sapphire velvet trousers; turquoise stockings paired with turquoise evening sandals. Or the amethyst feather chubby that was accessorized with an amethyst hood, hose, and wedge heel shoes. This was one of Ford’s more covered-up collections of late, until the end. The lookbook finishes off with a pair of Guy Bourdin-ish images of long dresses whose sexy interplay of sheer and opaque shows the young guns playing with body-con exactly how it’s done.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.