LONDON–Tom Ford appointments were yesterday and today, but don’t expect to hear anything about the presentation from the journalists, fashion editors, and stylists who attended.
All attendees were asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement that requires them not to write or reveal anything about the collection until the summer. As fall collections usually hit stores in late June/early July, expect profiles on Ford in the May/June issues of your favorite magazines.
That means Cathy, Suzy, and Robin were probably not invited to view the collections. “I don’t want to be reviewed,” he told the Los Angeles Times‘ Booth Moore, who we suspect was left off of his list as well. These writers are all critics, which means that even if they waited to write about it for six months, it would be with a gimlet eye.
But truthfully, if we were one of these writers, we wouldn’t want to go anyway. As admirable as Tom Ford is for not allowing the press to manipulate him, he’s also a bit absurd. Fashion is art, and art is up for criticism. Maybe Ford sees it only as commerce, but that doesn’t really make sense, given his theatrical take on the medium. Sometimes, maintaining so much control backfires. As we’ve said before, the onslaught of press last January featuring Ford and his collection left a bad taste in our mouths. Did it result in brisk sales? Probably the first time around. But we’re not so sure it’ll work longterm. But then again, it depends on what Ford is looking for: more money, more fame, neither, or both.
Designer(s): Tom Ford
Season: Fall 2011 London
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You wouldn’t want to go anyways? You are seriously saying that? Could that be anymore pretentious? You may disagree with his approach to presenting his collections, but to say you wouldn’t go anyways if you were those writers, when you probably wouldn’t even be invited, is quite full of it.
The catch is that if she was one of those writers, and she was invited, the main part that made her not want to go would be eliminated. See?
I think she used those words to express how (to step on your wording, Lauren) absurd it is to eliminate critical discussion from a presentation of art. I don’t she was supposing that she is too good to attend a presentation arranged in that manner, and certainly not supposing that attending a Tom Ford show is beneath her (or anyone.)
Yes, exactly. I LOVE Tom Ford–and I would some day love to see one of his collections. But not if I can’t write what I think about it. That defeats the point of the “cultural conversation that is fashion.”
Refusing to bend your knee to the reviewers is admirable, eliminating any dialogue that could be employed for criticism or dissent is megalomaniacal.
Sorry, but you come across as bitter in this article. I’m also a bit confused, because you mentioned that journalists were attended the presentation, but then said that the top critics prob didn’t go because they couldn’t write about it. The method to his madness is that he isn’t doing this for the masses, therefore, blogs and sites about fashion, such as Fashionista are irrelevant to his business practice. At least when it comes to womenswear. I think the amount of access people have been granted over the years makes them feel entitled. As for him not wanting to be reviewed, who cares? Egotistical, perhaps; yes, but in the end, he can do this because he is in a position to do so. As for his method not working longterm, why wouldn’t it? He is keeping details from leaking out, and keeping mass retailers from creating knockoffs in enough time for the salesfloor. His customer, not the average woman walking into Saks, wouldn’t appreciate that and he knows this.
While I admit it sucks having to wait so long to see pictures/pieces from the collection, at the end of the day, it is a formula that seems to be working very well for him.
“Blogs and sites such as Fashionista are irrelevant to his business practice”. Well, unfortunately, it’s not 1996 anymore and his “business practice” doesn’t have a chance in hell of working in the long term. Because unfortunately, everybody HAS to be online now. Even Isabel Marant is.
Well, he IS online, just not as fast as people (who I might add, are not who he is selling to) would like. The rest of his lines are fully available, just not this one. Not to mention, Isabel Marant is in a completely different bracket than Tom.
His audience is not much more high brow than say, Oscar de la Renta is it? Doesn’t ODLR still have online presence in more than a few ways? It’s about creating a BRAND that’s going to be well received and well known even to people who aren’t going to be buying the dresses and skirts. They may be buying the bags and the accessories. “Luxury brands should always concentrate their marketing operations on the super rich AS WELL AS the merely affluent”.
Lauren touched on this too. You can say he’s doing it for the business, and that his customer doesn’t pay attention to online media (which is fair to claim) but that idea is incongruous with his theatrical and artful treatment of his creations, not to mention his usual peacocking in the press. If he wanted to minimize attention, he wouldn’t have put Beyonce (!!) in his previous show.
This reaction in the media, along with the surprise snub to critics is all part, I believe, of his plan to make his collection feel more rarified by excluding noticeable figures.
I wonder who these people are he is selling to? I dare ask do they breathe the same air we do? Is their dollar more green than “Say the average woman walking into Saks”? Was pretentiousness not out of style years ago? We are talking about money and clothes. Money is a means to an end and clothes are a lot of things…. but not the answer to world peace.
I completely agree with fashion1. Bloggers and the likes have harbored this feeling of entitlement and have provided access to the masses. And fashion houses have used them because of the clicks & impressions they get so they can aid in moving clothes off the racks. Clearly that’s not the Tom Ford strategy. He cares about his loyal customer, not the people who will run to counterfeiters and get “similar” designs. His audience is mainly women who do not care about reviews etc, so I do believe you seem a bit “bitter” to borrow Fashion1′s description. No offense.
To be quite honest, Tom Ford can do whatever he wants and the people who indulge him can also do so. Having said that this whole secretive super exclusive thing he is doing is ridiculous and egotistical. In a world of so many incredibly talented artist, he is good but not that good. Nobody is that good. People will loose interest with fashion one is easily distracted. Seriously! I have not heard of anyone biting their nails. It is not the cure for cancer! Let’s have perspective here.
“He is good but that not that good. Nobody is that good”.
Completely agree.
I love Tom Ford’s work, but I must say that I don’t think the hubbub surrounding him would he half as big if he’d relaunched in 2008. He’s spent the last few years courting the press in a big way, like he didn’t really in the previous years since he quit womenswear.
You’re fooling yourself if you think you’re a “critic.”
Everybody who’s saying that Lauren is “bitter” for having not been invited are just being absurd. All she’s pointing out is that IF she were one of those critics, she would not want to go because OH YOU GUESSED critics CRITIQUE and hence going and not being able to write about is pretty inane isn’t it? It’s a simple, logical, rational point. Seriously, wtf.
@Arushi Khosla: You have just proven my point. If his bread and butter is coming from other things (accessories) than why is it so important that he splashes his RTW all across the internet? He puts his cosmetics and optical line online and lets be honest, that is where the bulk of his profits (if he is turning any yet) are coming from.
This discussion isn’t merely about the internet, because the collection does make it online, just not as quickly as people have become accustomed to being able to view it. The frustration, it seems is that he isn’t bending over and giving people what they want, rather he is calling the shots. I think that is what has people, like this Lauren at Fashionista, so annoyed.
The man wants to control access to his collection. It may be arrogant, but who cares, it is his right. Why do the bloggers and the masses have to have access to everything..wait a little..it’s not too hard. At times, internet has made us a society of inpatient entitled jerks. If Mr. Ford wants to delay scrutiny, more power to him.
Tom Ford is Tom Ford, he’s never been like everyone else, and that’s primarily why we love him so much. Last season, when I first heard about the presentation with the contracts and all that extra BS, I was feigning for a view of the collection. This season, I’m over it, it’ll come out when it comes out, but it’s not a big deal anymore. He does what he wants, we’ll just have to see how this affects his sales in the longrun and how he reacts to the consequences. Till then, I’m over it, not over him cause he’s a genius, but over the mystery.
[www.bossabou.blogspot.com]
Is Tom Ford really a genius?
He does classic shapes in sumptuous, high-quality fabrics and immaculate construction because he has the financial means to AFFORD said fabrics and construction. But is anything he offers really innovative?
I always say I love Tom Ford, but avoid expressing my true feeling that he is no genius, at least not with fashion. His genius is product design, nostalgia, exuberant flaunting of beauty, and, formerly, public relations.
I chortle into my snood when people say (like a few people did in the comments this week) that Marc Jacobs is self indulgent and image obsessed (and things like that) when he seems so humble and fragile compared to Tom’s brash audacity.
I agree, largely. Tom Ford IS a genius, of sorts…but, as you said, not with fashion. He is just a supreme marketing machine.
And I feel like THIS whole big-to-do, once again, with not allowing certain members of the press into his show is really less about exclusivity (to some degree) and more about HIM manipulating the press, instead of the other way around, and it’s a very shrew, claculated move. Sure, people will say that it’s old news now, and when he did it the first time, it was exciting, but not it’s so passe….but the reality is that people are STILL talking about it, will be clamoring to see it, and he’s STILL getting the publicity that he wants. So it’s really a 2-fold equation – his customers WILL get to feel some exclusivity (to some degree – read: until the photos ARE, in fact, released), and he still garners a TON of press. The man is really a marketing GENIUS. Fashion genius. I don’t see it. Now does that mean I would pass up an opportunity to work for him? Oh HELL NO!!! I would jump all over it. But to use Uncle Karl’s words, “I didn’t think he was the god everyone else thought him to be.”
RE: Marc….I love Marc, I do. I really have a love/hate (read: bi-polar) relationship with Marc. But currently, I’m in love. Having said that, I think that back in the day, Marc was probably fragile, humble, and unsure of himself. But he’s had sooo many years and collections behind him, and has the approval (and the dollars – both from customers AND from a financial backing, standpoint) of millions of people that I don’t think such is the case, anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that his personality has just completely CHANGED altogether, but you can’t tell me that his confidence level isn’t just simply through the roof now. You can’t be that hot, that rich, that well-loved and adored, that intelligent, and that creative AT HIS AGE, and not have grown into yourself and your confidence. Besides, one of the things that Anna always says that she loved about Marc is that he was just always so sure of himself and his vision from such a young age. I don’t think you can play it both ways. You’re either confident or you’re not (well, in some regards and to some degree – but hopefully, you get my point).
And he’s not saying you can’t write about it… You can, you just have to publish it at a later time. So sorry, that’s not rational or logical Arushi.
Late on the bandwagon, much?
Lauren,
I love the way you criticise Tom Ford for not wanting to be reviewed, but when I “review” you, you yank my comment. Now there’s a real fashionista.
You probably were just being catty like you were on Project Runway.
the sales assistants at the Tom Ford store on madison ave. can show images of the upcoming line to real clients. I saw some images of the fall line last summer after buying a garment in the store.
it makes sense, why not show the images to real customers? thats what they do.
fashion is split -
people who sell adverts via – magazines or blogs.
and people who sell clothes.
having hype way before hitting stores is not good, but what do you care, you’ve had your blog hits and moved on.
so hes right!! to hold back.