Video From Tom Ford's Secret Show

Highly esteemed women’s wear designer-turned-menswear designer-turned film director Tom Ford made a huge splash late last year when he announced that he’d once again be creating beautiful wares for the fairer sex. His return was marked by a secret show at a salon on Madison Avenue with only 100 of his closest friends in attendance. A video from the show was just released today, almost four months later. The event, shrouded by a veil of secrecy, came with a set of rules including:

• No full-look photos to run alongside fashion reviews.
• No complete run-of-show anywhere on the internet.
• No magazine coverage until January issues.
• No celebrities wearing the clothes until December.

The only person allowed to photograph the show was Terry Richardson and every monthly from Vogue to Harper’s Bazaar included coverage of his new designs in their December issues. Vogue Paris even allowed Ford to guest edit the December ‘10/January ‘11 issue, with many attributing this to his close friendship with editor-in-chief Carine Roitfeld (who recently announced her departure from the magazine after 10 years). Ford is infamous for being anti-press, disregarding critical reviews of his work and not caring much for high profile fashion shows. The fashion industry could learn a thing or two from the way Tom Ford controls his brand and his image. In an era where tween bloggers sit front row and high fashion designers collaborate with high street retailers, one can’t help but feel concern for the future of fashion and a bit of nostalgia for the past. In the golden days of Dior and Balenciaga, when models sashayed down small runways in even smaller salons , only buyers, editors and select clients were in attendance. No celebrities, no camera crews, no fluff. I wasn’t certain of it until I saw video from Ford’s intimate show, but now I know that this is the way things should be. Watch below: