Tom Ford Catwalk Fashion Show Womenswear SS2018 New York

The spring summer collection Tom Ford presented was a classic one: the calculated decadence we know so well from Ford, rendered in a split between athletic-derived sportswear and power-woman goddess gowns. Crossover of athletica into the primary daywear vernacular aside, Ford loves tailored polish. He opened with a bold-shouldered pale pink satin tuxedo jacket over a liquid metallic top and short-shorts, rolled at the hem. Unlike the old Gucci days when he worked the daylights out of a single look, here he offered options, some approachably chic, others challenging to all but the most secure of attitude and body image: classic pantsuits, dressed-up dark denim, short leather trenches and racy jumpsuits. One, a long, backless drink of water in white crepe, rang the bell of a long-ago Gucci dress with a cutout abdomen. An infusion of wit came in an only Tom take on the twinset: slouchy chain mail shoulder bag and matching briefs worn with a louche pale pink top. As for the eveningwear, strong shoulders and sequined sleeves transported classic draping from ethereal to aggressive, as glam as it gets.

The takeaway was of familiar audacity. Ford believes genuinely in the transformative power of clothes.

It didn’t come easily. To replicate the original getups, Ford wanted old-school tube socks, to the knee, but his staff came up empty — today’s versions hit midcalf. Someone then thought to cut the sock foot into a thong, thus extending the overall length. Tailored tube socks. Aspiration realized takes many forms.