Trading New York for California, how Gigi and the gang partied at Tommyland
Ask people one word to describe Tommy Hilfiger and ‘Americana’ will be pretty near the top of the list. Since its inception in the 80s, the brand has been defined by its take on American iconography and culture: of red, white and blue graphics, preppy designs and, of course, the most American of all fabrics – denim. But another word that embedded in Hilfiger’s history is ‘personality’. Without the likes of hip-hop and R&B artists like Aaliyah and Destiny’s Child wearing Tommy-logo-ed everything, the brand would be missing a whole part of its it history. With a star-studded show in LA, yesterday’s outing paid tribute to both of these aspects, in a collection as laden with big name cameos as it was with the brand’s signature reworked classics. ICYMI, here’s what went down.
EAST COAST TO WEST COAST
After taking over a New York pier for last season’s show, Hilfiger traded the East Coast for the West Coast this time around, staging his latest offering on Venice Beach – dubbed ‘Tommy Land’ for the occasion. Like the Victoria’s Secret gang when they took over Paris, Tommy’s models took a specially named airline (‘Air Tommy’) to their destination and touched down on the sandy, palm-tree lined beaches of the Golden Coast, refreshed and ready for the evening’s festivities.
THE MAJOR COACHELLA VIBES
More than just a tribute to label’s West Coast hip-hop heritage, this move was clearly motivated by another prominent musical influence – namely, of the desert art show/music festival/fashion parade that takes over SoCal in summer, Coachella. In the same way, the designer apparently spared no expense at turning the beach into a veritable amusement park of rides, graffiti artists, on-site boutiques and street performers. This was the laid-back, sundrenched California Instagram feeds are made of.
GIGI WAS THERE WITH HER SUPERMODEL GANG
Of course, current face of the brand (and our 25th anniversary issue cover girl) Gigi Hadid made an appearance. Not only walking with her sister Bella Hadid and band of other top models (including Joan Smalls and another of our cover star, Yasmin Wijnaldum), Gigi was also there to debut the latest pieces from the collection she co-designs with Hilfiger. After the 55-look strong blockbuster of a show, Hilfiger said that LA-girl Gigi was the inspiration throughout: “It’s really all about Gigi. It’s about Southern California – sporty, casual, wearable, accessible and fun.”
THE REWORKED ALL-AMERICAN CLASSICS
Gigi herself was inspired by what she called “the youth of Tommy as a brand,” which she looked into the archives for as her starting point. The resulting looks were a homage to the brand’s defining Americana aesthetic – in all-over denim outfits à la Britney and Justin era – at times interpreted through Hadid’s carefree ‘Summer of Love’ approach. Think cowboy boots, bathing suits and cropped bombers, but with palm tree patches – and a standout floaty dress that looked as if it was made of another 90s staple, bandanas, quilted together. The American flag was done in every way imaginable – cotton t-shirts, knit sweaters, silk blouses, chiffon maxi dresses, and even a sexy peasant textile number in the style of Laura Ashley.
#TOMMYNOW
As one of the first designers to get to grips with the now-ubiquitous ‘See Now, Buy Now’ model, this season really drove this business model home. Reminders that the show would be livestreamed took over social media feeds, captioned with added emphasis of #TOMMYNOW – in case you weren’t aware already. It worked apparently – most of the clothes were reportedly sold out before they even hit the runway.
THE STARS WERE OUT
Gigi et al weren’t the only celebrity endorsements of the night though. Fergie took to the stage and – fresh from her sparkling Super Bowl performance – Lady Gaga made a surprise (equally as sparkling, thanks to the sequinned hot-pants outfit she wore) appearance in the front row, having just dropped the video for her country-inflected track, ‘John Wayne’, earlier in the day. Even Hilfiger himself bowed down to the Monster Queen, in a bizarre turn of events.
