Tommy Hilfiger landed with a bang in Florence, taking over the city’s Palazzo Corsini for the presentation of 20 looks from his Hilfiger Edition collection, billed as a modern take on men’s wear classics executed in premium fabrics and with luxe flourishes.
With his updated remix of the brand’s collegiate codes — looks emblazoned with patchworks of bright red-white-and-blue tartans and stripes configured to re-create the house’s all-American flag emblem logo — the designer managed to distract from the site’s baroque decor, with the frescos and giant gold chandeliers fading into the background.
Driving the brand message home, the format of the presentation was multilayered with the collection presented on mannequins in a space bordered by white block walls covered in the silhouettes shot on models, like a giant look book. Then, bringing the looks to life, Lucky Blue Smith and a run of hip, young, chisel-jawed “sons ofs” including Presley Gerber, Rafferty Law and Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis — not forgetting Hilfiger’s own stepson Julian Ocleppo — wove their way through the crowd in athletic-casual looks from the line.
Hilfiger built on his relaxed athleticism direction with artisanal, DIY flourishes, adding texture to the characteristically cool and clean looks. There was a quirky, youthful energy to the pairings, like a checked duffle coat over a colored tennis sweater with a chunky striped V-neck; a fur-lined military parka layered over a striped red-white-and-blue fleece or a rugby shirt worn under a mixed media leather-sleeved baseball jacket in checked sheepskin offset by striped cuffs. Oxford shirts sported neat patchworks of checks at the chest and sweatshirts sprouted cable-knit sleeves, worn with loose sweatpants. Velvet accents upgraded looks, from a contrast collar on a Chesterfield coat to the line’s sneakers. The ingredients were familiar, but the delivery was fresh.
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“It’s a redo of our great American classics from the Eighties made more modern and relevant for today,” said the designer, surveying the crowd. “Through the fabrics, proportions and details, but with the essence of what Tommy Hilfiger has always been about.”
