Slinky and sleek: Tom Ford’s much-hyped return to the Milan catwalk does not disappoint

By Scarlett Conlon, CNN

Milan, Italy (CNN) — A new dawn rose in Milan on Thursday evening as British designer Peter Hawkings made his hotly anticipated debut in the creative director chair at Tom Ford.

The long-time right-hand-man of Tom Ford himself, it was Hawkings’ first foray into womenswear following his 25-year stint as a menswear director, first under Ford during his tenure at Gucci and then here at the designer-turned-director’s eponymous label.

It was also the first catwalk show since Ford sold his namesake brand to Estee Lauder last year for $2.8 billion, stepping down from designer duties and personally recommending Hawkings as his successor.

If fans of Ford’s high-octane take on sex-appeal had concerns that the passing of the baton would mean less of the seductive silhouettes and razor-sharp tailoring on which the brand has found its following, they needn’t have. Those signatures were all here, albeit with a fresh sensuality prioritized over provocation.

Slinky backless dresses, leather mini dresses and jumpsuits slashed to the naval delivered on the sleek front, while gold tasselled shorts and feathered skirts added a spontaneous and playful dimension. A line of lustrous velvet suits arrived in deep dusty pinks, forest green, deep purple and teal. A constant in the Tom Ford repertoire (Gwyneth Paltrow gave one a pop-culture moment at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1996), they were worn with unbuttoned silk-satin shirts, strings of gold hardware and yellow-tinted sunglasses (a favourite of both Ford and Hawkings).

A new start in familiar territory, Hawkings called it “an act of continuity” backstage after the show.

“Working with Tom for 25 years, his design ethos is ingrained in me,” said the designer, who met Ford in 1998 after finishing his MA course under the legendary Professor Louise Wilson at Central Saint Martins. “He’s helped me and inspired me to create my own codes and build on those for the future.”

Admitting that “it was kind of daunting at the beginning”, Hawkings said that taking the reins at the label felt like a natural evolution. “Tom handing over the baton obviously meant everything to me.”

Hawkings, who is based in London with his wife Whitney Bromberg, founder and CEO of flower delivery company Flowerbx, and their three children, will continue designing menswear alongside womenswear. Amalgamating the two collections “under one roof” will create a consistency that he felt was missing due to the long-distance logistics with his predecessor.

“It was important for (the Tom Ford) woman (to) come closer to the man, because I think there was a disconnect before.… due to Tom being in LA and the design team being here. Now it’s under one roof. That’s important to me, I’m detail obsessed.”

Namechecking Donyale Luna, the Detroit-born Black supermodel who became a muse to Andy Warhol and Richard Avedon in the 1960s, as inspiration, Hawkings credited “his rock” Bromberg with his confidence in his new role. “For me, it’s so helpful having a wife who is very strong, with a strong opinion. She will tell me whether she loves something, hates something, how it fits, how, how comfortable it is.”

The decision to kick-start the Hawkings era in Milan made “total sense” he said. “It’s where I began my career, working with Tom at Gucci, but moreover, the quality you get in Italy, and the excellence is important as I’m a perfectionist.”

Hawkings is not the only one making his debut at Milan Fashion Week. Gucci’s recently appointed creative director Sabato De Sarno is slated to unveil the label’s first collection on Friday. With Tom Ford’s Gucci-era aesthetic tipped to be referenced as an inspiration, Hawkings’ slot on the Milan schedule proved to be a timely reminder-cum-cementation of an aesthetic Tom Ford may have originated but his heir clearly wants to own moving forward.

Following rapturous applause, Hawkings reflected on the moment backstage. “I mean, that was just so, so much fun. It really was,” he said. “It’s a brilliant experience, but one that I just feel like I’ve been preparing for my entire life.”

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