Walter Chiapponi is a man on a mission. He wants to introduce sensuality and femininity into Tod’s language, amping up the fashion gradient of a label mainly known for its casual-chic Italian take on sportswear. It’s an ongoing process, which the designer is slowly but steadily building up every season.
For autumn/winter 2021, he worked on Tod’s classic outerwear repertoire, seen through the lens of what he called “a couture spirit.” Referencing a ’50s-inflected bourgeois silhouette, he added a touch of flourish and softness to tailoring and sporty pieces. Ruffled collars peeked out from a black leather piumino, or undulated on a big trapeze-cut overcoat and roomy wool caban. An enveloping city coat and a loose-fitting blouson were belted at the front with a low-slung sash; a lipstick red pussy-bow blouse was worn with a sharp-cut black leather A-line skirt.
To better telegraph the sensualist message he’s trying to convey, Chiapponi tried his hand at a slim-fit, tighter silhouette—a first for Tod’s otherwise informal inclinations. Particularly convincing was an elongated black leather midi coat, gently formfitting and “cut as if it were a couture robe-manteau,” as he explained. Elsewhere, a crisp cotton organza ensemble in light blue consisting of a feminine shirt with puffed sleeves and a pleated midiskirt suggested baby steps into more articulate ready-to-wear territory. Infused with refined playfulness, it looked rather promising.
This article was originally published on Vogue.com