Tom Ford Fall/Winter 2025 show marked a new chapter in the label’s story—one that began when Peter Hawkings, a longtime Ford collaborator, was let go less than a year into his tenure. Haider Ackermann’s appointment in September felt almost inevitable, he was the industry’s most-wanted wild card with an affinity for sleek silhouettes and a knack for making clothes radiate confidence.
This season’s show kicked off with looks that balanced sporty ease and sharp precision, including leather tees and a riff on high-end sweats. There was a cropped sweatshirt—cut just short enough to reveal a sliver of skin—paired with a slinky bias skirt and barely-there belt that could sum up the entire collection’s approach: a charged fusion of Ford’s signature seduction and Ackermann’s fluid, sculptural lines. When the runway turned to tailoring, crisp pinstripes and glossy jacquards showed up with a nostalgic nod to the ’80s, each suit adorned with details like polka-dot scarves, narrow ties, and a single white lapel flower.
The brand’s penchant for bold statement color was also on display: jolts of cobalt and neon green electrified subdued pastels, and some women’s suiting featured Ackermann’s distinctive sculpted shoulders. Evening looks had an unapologetic glamour—some with soaring slits that revealed a flash of skin mid-stride, others more draped and textural. A shimmering embroidered number, cut in a way that hinted at crocodile, offered a dramatic spin on red-carpet dressing. And while the season’s fuzzy trend appeared in a lone mohair sweater and a lilac-fringe gown, Ackermann leaned instead on leather to dominate the opening half of the show: think white crocodile tops, sleek biker jackets, and single-hand motorcycle gloves.
Ackermann had teased the collection with a pared-down Instagram post featuring a nude self-portrait by Ethan James Green—a signal that the brand’s provocative spirit was alive and well.
That vibe carried through as the models slowed their pace, effectively putting each look under a spotlight. Tom Ford himself, who sold his namesake label to Estée Lauder in 2022 and bowed out the following year, seemed content watching this new evolution. In a final flourish, he stepped onstage to embrace Ackermann, closing the show on a note of passing the baton rather than reclaiming it. It was a declaration: the Ackermann era has arrived, and by all accounts, it’s just getting started.
