Tom Ford’s AW26 collection was revealed yesterday, and it was one not to miss. Fierce, razor-sharp, and intensely aspirational – the kind of collection that makes anyone watching feel compelled to step into its world, to engage with its energy, and rethink their own wardrobe in response. What Haider Ackermann presented under the Tom Ford label was both an homage and a fresh articulation of everything that made Ford a household name in luxury design. The show itself – staged in an all‑white minimalist space, models weaving through it completely unphased – felt entirely natural; as if dressed in Tom Ford, you move through the world with the same composure and confidence, unbothered by everything around you. It is, in a sense, the very embodiment of the Tom Ford character – effortlessly cool.
Jackets are impeccably sculpted, yet drape with movement that makes them feel wearable. Leather panels meet cashmere, silk touches vinyl. Translucent trenches and asymmetric cuts hint at daring without ever tipping into overload.
Tom Ford may not be designing anymore – he is preoccupied with his next cinematic project – yet his DNA is infused into every House he has transformed. This week, the echoes were impossible to miss: Gucci leaned into the daring tailoring and alluring confidence that defined Ford’s era, while Anthony Vaccarello at YSL revisited the audacious glamour and sharp silhouettes he instilled in the House. Across runways and collections, Ford’s aesthetic feels less like a passing trend and more like a defining energy of 2026 – an amalgamation of style, power and genuine magnetism.
AW26, under Haider Ackermann, exemplifies this perfectly, proving that Ford’s vision is here to stay, now elevated by Ackermann’s exceptional craftsmanship and poetic sense of form. For any creative director, especially in a House bearing such an iconic name, the challenge is immense: to preserve the essence of Ford while asserting a distinct voice of their own. Ackermann achieves this indelibly, delivering a collection that honours the Tom Ford legacy while reflecting the one he’s making.
