Walter Chiapponi keeps powering Tod’s with newness, injecting a spirit of modernity into the label’s Italian lifestyle repertoire. Venturing with increased confidence into fashion-inflected territory, for fall he focused on a broad-shouldered silhouette, with volumes polarised between the powerful and the slender, and antithetical lengths swinging from sweeping to legs-baring abbreviation.
“I started with a feel for severity, a sort of minimal approach that I was keen to explore,” said Chiapponi backstage. “The collection was entirely made in our tailoring atelier, and every piece is informed by a tailored flavour. The way I work on shapes is through manipulation, so a detour on extreme, exaggerated proportions felt almost consequential.”
While fashion is (slowly) moving away from the oversized, Chiapponi gave this fading trend another go; his version hinted at an assertive sense of elegance and presence (he called it ‘Newton-esque’) rather than referencing try-hard cool. A highlight was the coat offer, which came in long, floor-grazing options—the most convincing being in black leather cinched at the waist, or in shearling cut into majestic volumes. Underneath, he went for short tight skirts worn with fitted, cropped zippered blousons, or for wide-leg, paperbag-waisted trousers.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, elongated blazers were tight-fitted and shapely, worn on bare legs like short coat dresses. The tailored hourglass silhouette is trending on Milanese catwalks; here it looked attractive rendered in a wide-lapel, double-breasted shearling peacoat with contrasting trimming.
Tod’s again staged its collection in the vast spaces of Hangar Bicocca, which hosts the Seven Heavenly Palaces, a monumental installation by Anselm Kiefer. While the artworks make for an impressive sight, the magnitude of the place isn’t really conducive to taking in a collection showcasing such a high level of Italian craftsmanship. These clothes deserve to be appreciated more intimately up close.
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