Simply Abu Dhabi Magazine XIX

1 7 8 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I and uncomfortable, but the designer was careful here – the leather is subtle and drenched in sophistication. There is a rich colour palette here – camel, blue, white, sugarcane, green, red, pink, gold, petrol blue, nude and burgundy all play a part, a smart fusion with materials beyond leather such as napa, suede, fur, nylon, mink, shearling, fox, lace, knits, wool, chiffon and patent leather. Four seasons since Facchinetti took the helm, she is finally pushing out of the comfort zone that TOD’s has found itself in, and it seems to be a risk that is paying off. The show opened with a leather trench bathed in a blush pink – a flawless start, but it was not to be a precursor of what was to come, amongst only a few uses of the fabric. Beyond this, whipstitched wool tailoring, suede separates, intarsia knits and sporty, down-filled jackets just shy of earning the descriptor of ‘puffer’ all made an appearance. In a season that lent itself well to sweaters, Facchinetti took the garment to another level: graphic designs circled the neckline and the arms above the wrists – the navy version belted over a pair of cropped raw denim jeans was particularly well received. Another popular theme this season was shearling, but once again, Facchinetti took the crown for the most distinctive. Her printed pantsuits were maybe not as well received, but criticisms aside, they sat well with the rest of the collection. Of course, accessories were given their share of the spotlight – footwear especially, as was to be expected. On show were loafers, boots and men’s shoes with rubber soles and stud appliqué. The classic pebble-soled TOD’s loafers became top-stitched boots, and skinny belts appeared with studs. Beyond this were thin necklaces, drop earrings and rings with maxi-stones, and in the bag department we saw geometric and intarsia bags, richly embellished with metallic coat-of-arms. Facchinetti lives and breathes her brand, the epitomical TOD’s customer – and this is a collection that produces a functional, believable wardrobe. There is an inescapable statement that these are clothes you should be able to buy for daily life – ‘shoppable clothes’ for the everyday. If that was the aim, the reality is as close as may be humanly possible.