TOD's FW2015 Men's & Women's Collection

TOD's FW2015 Women's Collection is sartorial and sporty – Made in Italy luxury expressed through a contemporary melange of graphics and threaded leather. The dominant themes revolve around cosmopolitan skiing, sophisticated sporting style, and rebellious biker details in geometric metal that light up the accessories. In the shoes and bags, technology is used to move beyond the heritage echoes of saddlery. The whole mood of sporty luxuriousness also finds expression in a colour palette that is largely monochrome, with shades of camel and flashes of intense red. Creative Director Alessandra Facchinetti’s womenswear for the house has crisp volumes and a look that is modern and feminine.

A key device used throughout is threading. In leather, or patent leather, stitching migrates from bags to fabrics, and makes its mark on outerwear. Leather is treated like a precious fabric, and Tod’s threading of leather laces becomes a bold stylistic statement, embodying the craftsmanship and pursuit of excellence that characterises Made in Italy. Leather also features as inserts that suggest disassembled geometry, while prints and leatherwork nod to the aesthetic of the Memphis Group design movement. The season’s signature graphic motif: linear flashes of brights, amid irregular, coloured rhombi.

There are new padded garments in nylon, and new techno-shell knitwear styles. Super-lightweight and modern, there is a play here in volumes and the use of puckering. The biker motif recurs throughout – the classic jacket style becoming an overcoat, even a trench. In leather, with inserts, the biker pieces are constructed with anatomical precision and fasten diagonally to create a nonchalant impression. When it comes to outerwear, the overcoat, pea coat and parka all show how sportiness can be modified by the highly artisanal touch of fine leather finishing. A precious jacquard is made with unusual rhombi. Fur collars appear here and there, suggesting informal luxury.

  

Moccasins, Beatle boots and lace-ups have been grafted onto a stylish rubber sole featuring Gommino pebbling. The collection includes a sharp moccasin, characterised by a metal vamp with hand-threaded strips of leather. Lacquered rubber gives saddlery a feminine twist. Details include laser-cut fringes and a metal vamp with slotted leather and lacing, which references the technical elegance of ski fashion. A wooden heel contrasts with the finishes. Optical effects combine with artisanal graphics on the ankle boot. The new Gommino has fringes, threading, enamelled studs, and decorative graphics. It also has a new volume, with a nod to the Beatle boot, while preserving the relaxed insouciance associated with Tod’s.

For bags, Tod’s has extended the saddlery-meets-sporty aesthetic that runs throughout the rest of the collection. In the new Wave, an everyday highly versatile bag is elevated through the use of coloured ribbing, visible stitching and a leather flap concealing the long zip. The iconic Cape has the appearance of a saddle wrapping around itself, leather on leather. Slotted patent leather or lasered applications personalise the look. To complete the collection, this season the saddlery-style Flower is enlivened with paints, graphic-effect fringes and leather hand-threaded through slots. Throughout the entire collection for women, Tod’s explores an interplay between the artisanal world of saddlery that speaks directly of its DNA, and the innovation of contemporary design. The result is both wearable and memorable, combining style and function in a way that is always sophisticated and feminine. And very, very Tod’s.

The Tod's men’s collection shows how technical flair can be applied to the house spirit of Made in Italy to create a new, contemporary luxury aesthetic. In particular, by combining tailoring and technical flair with the Tod’s shoe collection, the house presents a remarkable take on stylish, easy-to-wear functionality for a modern man’s lifestyle. Formality meets sportiness in Tod’s fashionably elegant new sneakers. In many ways, these set the tone for the rest of the footwear, where a new running sole helps to reinvent classic shapes like the moccasin, monk strap and lace-up, the latter made unique by metal edging wrapped, spur-like, around the heel.

There is also a contemporary reimagining of Tod’s signature models, such as the Driving Icons - Gommino, City Gommino and City Spyder – which are now presented with a buckle on the upper, and come in a new range of materials and prints. The Tod’s luxury aesthetic has always been founded on an intelligent fusion of forward-thinking design and technology with artisanal skill and heritage, and this is clearly apparent not only in the shoes for this season, but also in the clothing and bags. The Tod’s menswear collection features a selection of well-designed cornerstones of the male wardrobe in muted, natural tones and exquisite materials. Central to this season is the Parka, a coat which here has been conceived with a distinctive ‘aviator’ spirit in mind. Sporting, utilitarian and yet also peculiarly formal in waxed leather or with a grisaille texture reminiscent of Italian tailoring fabrics, the Tod’s Parka is set to become a timeless classic of the future.

Where bags are concerned, Tod’s introduces the new Cloud style, a cross-functional oversized piece. This has no bonded elements and is fashioned from ultra-lightweight leather. It is presented in four styles – messenger, gym, shopper and backpack to suit a variety of uses and types of modern lifestyle.