Tommy Hilfiger (Q4730)
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American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures apparel
- Tommy Hilfiger Group
- Tommy Hilfiger Inc.
- Tommy Hilfiger Corporation
- Tommy Hilfiger
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Tommy Hilfiger |
American multinational corporation that designs and manufactures apparel |
|
Statements
2005
chief creative
design role
2006
sold
1993
designer (Red Label line)
No other than Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan were tasked with closing Tommy Hilfiger’s spring show this evening with a surprise performance. “It’s going to be fun, and it’ll definitely be a source of entertainment,” offered the designer earlier this week at a preview. Mission accomplished.Last season, Hilfiger returned to New York Fashion Week with a lavish runway presentation set at the famous Oyster Bar at Grand Central Station. The idea, he said then, was to jump back into the Fashion Week circuit keeping New York iconography in mind: Iconic city landmarks hosting an iconic New York label. Last night, the Empire State Building was lit up with Hilfiger’s signature colors. But that was just the teaser.The invitation to tonight’s show was a brass-toned coin. A quick Google search (and subsequent eBay rabbit hole) confirmed the suspicion that Hilfiger was offering his guests a Tommy-fied version of a Staten Island Ferry token, a now long-gone remnant of New York history since the city made riding the ferry free in 1997. And so we rendezvoused at the southernmost tip of Manhattan at the MV John F. Kennedy, a massive ship named after the late US President that operated as a Staten Island Ferry from 1965 until 2021. You may remember when, following her retirement, Staten Island natives and professional funny dudes Colin Jost and Pete Davidson purchased it at auction with the goal of turning it into a comedy and entertainment club. (Jost was at the show, Davidson was not.) The idea, said Hilfiger, was to find somewhere signature to the city that was also not a usual suspect: “That’s what we wanted, something iconic but a little unexpected.”Hilfiger’s collection straddled the line between both. There was classic Tommy: Navy captain’s blazers and peacoat-style trench coats, cricket sweaters and tennis v-necks, pleated khaki chinos and prim poplin dresses and shirt dresses. “We wanted to live within our brand codes: Stripes, red, white, and blue, nautical, and collegiate preppy,” said Hilfiger.But his fall show, beautiful and polished as it was, lacked some frisson. And so here there was some new-new: Button downs and slacks in crinkled fabrics, single-pleat trousers cut in lightweight denim, swishy loose-gauge sweaters hand knitted in either silk, cotton, or cashmere, and a run of slim-fitting capris in colorful checks.
These had a hint of sexy that added some friction to the collection, albeit still within the Hilfiger vernacular: “It’s our way of being sexy, which is not the same as everyone else’s. Ours is all-American, I think,” said Hilfiger. Because of how classic they are at face value, Hilfiger’s clothes can sometimes carry a certain preciousness. This collection was at its best when it had a lived-in patina, when the styling was playful rather than matchy-matchy: the “unexpected” he referred to. That’s the right instinct moving forward.The MV JFK ship served for 55 years and completed approximately 200,000 journeys. It would be easy to lean into the parallel here—the MV and Hilfiger, two American classics in the advent of a new era. But here’s the thing about Hilfiger: He’s never stopped. Like the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, or a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from the corner deli, Tommy Hilfiger is as much part of the city’s iconography as the ship that hosted his show. There’s only one way to become a beloved classic: show up and show out.
8 September 2024
It doesn’t get more New York than Tommy Hilfiger and Grand Central Station: A quintessential New York brand at an iconic New York location.The scene was a memorable one tonight at the Oyster Bar, with fans crowding the 42nd Street exit of the station ahead of the show. Who were they waiting for? Your guess is as good as mine. It could have been K-pop superstar Junho, whose name was heard the loudest, or perhaps F1 driver Mick Schumacher. Or maybe actors Damson Idris or Edison Chen, or even influencers Sofia Richie or Noah Beck. To say that this show’s seating chart looked like a TikTok “For You Page” come to life would be an understatement.Once past the crowds and into the opulent venue, the mood was celebratory. Hilfiger returned to New York Fashion Week after a year away, staging a dinnertime show just a stone’s throw from his HQ on Madison Avenue. “We’ve been all over the world by now,” he said, speaking of the world tour he embarked on a few years back, taking his shows to London, Paris, Shanghai, and more. But “New York is home. It felt like it was time to commit to New York Fashion Week fully.”New York–ness didn’t come just by way of the location. Hilfiger is known for his American sportswear classics: a sharp pair of khaki chinos, a polo shirt, a navy cable-knit sweater, a great camel coat. This season, he was determined to give them a New York makeover, describing the city as the home of “classic American cool.”All the Tommy essentials were there, but this time with an undeniably fresh point of view. Varsity jackets and peacoats were cut slightly oversized with hefty, boxy proportions, as were Hilfiger’s tried-and-true chinos and crewneck sweaters. His rugby and polo shirts were reimagined as playful preppy dresses, and prim button-downs received supersized stiffened collars for a dressier effect. The winner in this lineup was Look 8, which Hilfiger said he found himself returning to: A red rugby tee paired with an oversized camel jacket and a pleated midiskirt. It was the realization of Hilfiger’s efforts here—equal parts SoHo and Park Avenue—chic, essential, easy, and decisively grown-up.Tonight Hilfiger took claim of the look he first started offering just shy of 40 years ago, his celebration crowned by a playful performance by the musician Jon Batiste, who had even the most jaded of fashion folk grinning and on their feet.
“It’s all about relevant shapes, relevant details, and making it wearable and affordable,” said Hilfiger, “but above all, it still has to be Tommy.” This was one memorable, and very Tommy, New York minute.
9 February 2024
How do you reinvigorate heritage? From fresh designers hired to “revive” dormant labels to stalwart brands trying to convince new generations that they’re still relevant, this question is top of mind for anyone leading a brand born before the year 2000. At Tommy Hilfiger, the conversation is less about convincing Gen-Z that it’s cool—long association with hip-hop’s vanguard does the trick—and more about delivering a product that captures that cool essence.The better question, then: How does one repackage heritage? Can brands translate online nostalgia for their bygone visuals, products, and vibes, into sales?“The brief to the design team is to start with American classics and find the filter to make them relevant for today’s customer,” said Lee Holman, Tommy Hilfiger’s Chief Design Officer at a preview. The thing is, the notion of American “classics” has been revisited so much that it’s lost most of its meaning. Here’s where the filter comes into play. For fall, the Tommy design team looked at the great outdoors, aka the woodsy portions of New England that have long informed the spirit of prep that made Tommy Hilfiger so enchanting back in the ’90s. But more so than justoutside, Holman explained, it’s the idea of “American recreation” that was appealing. City dwellers escaping to the Catskill Mountains, Montauk, or New England is a New York tradition—affluent and mostly white, it should be said—and it paints a charming and stylized image that simply does not go out of style. Now that’s an American classic.To bridge this into today, the Tommy team combined this idyllic image with a grounding concept: What is the customer doing? Escaping the city, sure, but these clothes should serve a year-round purpose rather than just address a weekend getaway, so Holman tasked his designers with reinterpreting some quintessential Tommyisms—a pair of Chinos, a shearling coat, a varsity jacket, a cricket sweater, an Oxford shirt—in today’s proportions. The results are convincing and confidently elevated, if sometimes over-branded. Elongated and wide wool-twill tailoring in navy and camel looked preppy yet contemporary, while a pair of burly his-and-hers leather shearling jackets captured the woodsy spirit the team was after. A snazzy shade of cyan brightened the palette and offered a break from the signature Tommy red, white, and blue, and a tartan shirt bonded to a knit backing brought modern comfort into an age-old essential.
It’s a tall order to make classics like these identifiable, but this is an honest effort from the Hilfiger team.Oftentimes, fashion heritage is less about the clothes and more about how they are worn. Hip-hop turns 50 this year, and one can see its influence both on the Tommy codes and fashion itself. It would be interesting to see Tommy Hilfiger fully go there in celebration and acknowledgement.Most promising here was the reissuing of a signature Tommy tartan from the ’90s. It was rescaled, recolored, and reinvented in the shape of fuzzy knits, wooly tailoring, and sleek puffer jackets. The driving force behind this story was a fall 1994 campaign image Holman and co. found in the company archives. It pictures three very handsome models with very ’90s haircuts posing by a muddied red truck. They’re wearing the tartan in question paired with chinos, classic wash jeans, and brass-buttoned tailoring. There’s a sense of sartorial playfulness and discovery in that old ad that the label should dig into. It’s fun, recognizable, and believable, all the things the Tommy Hilfiger heritage should stand for as it looks to the future.
16 August 2023
How do you reinvigorate heritage? From fresh designers hired to “revive” dormant labels to stalwart brands trying to convince new generations that they’re still relevant, this question is top of mind for anyone leading a brand born before the year 2000. At Tommy Hilfiger, the conversation is less about convincing Gen-Z that it’s cool—long association with hip-hop’s vanguard does the trick—and more about delivering a product that captures that cool essence.The better question, then: How does one repackage heritage? Can brands translate online nostalgia for their bygone visuals, products, and vibes, into sales?“The brief to the design team is to start with American classics and find the filter to make them relevant for today’s customer,” said Lee Holman, Tommy Hilfiger’s Chief Design Officer at a preview. The thing is, the notion of American “classics” has been revisited so much that it’s lost most of its meaning. Here’s where the filter comes into play. For fall, the Tommy design team looked at the great outdoors, aka the woodsy portions of New England that have long informed the spirit of prep that made Tommy Hilfiger so enchanting back in the ’90s. But more so than justoutside, Holman explained, it’s the idea of “American recreation” that was appealing. City dwellers escaping to the Catskill Mountains, Montauk, or New England is a New York tradition—affluent and mostly white, it should be said—and it paints a charming and stylized image that simply does not go out of style. Now that’s an American classic.To bridge this into today, the Tommy team combined this idyllic image with a grounding concept: What is the customer doing? Escaping the city, sure, but these clothes should serve a year-round purpose rather than just address a weekend getaway, so Holman tasked his designers with reinterpreting some quintessential Tommyisms—a pair of Chinos, a shearling coat, a varsity jacket, a cricket sweater, an Oxford shirt—in today’s proportions. The results are convincing and confidently elevated, if sometimes over-branded. Elongated and wide wool-twill tailoring in navy and camel looked preppy yet contemporary, while a pair of burly his-and-hers leather shearling jackets captured the woodsy spirit the team was after. A snazzy shade of cyan brightened the palette and offered a break from the signature Tommy red, white, and blue, and a tartan shirt bonded to a knit backing brought modern comfort into an age-old essential.
It’s a tall order to make classics like these identifiable, but this is an honest effort from the Hilfiger team.Oftentimes, fashion heritage is less about the clothes and more about how they are worn. Hip-hop turns 50 this year, and one can see its influence both on the Tommy codes and fashion itself. It would be interesting to see Tommy Hilfiger fully go there in celebration and acknowledgement.Most promising here was the reissuing of a signature Tommy tartan from the ’90s. It was rescaled, recolored, and reinvented in the shape of fuzzy knits, wooly tailoring, and sleek puffer jackets. The driving force behind this story was a fall 1994 campaign image Holman and co. found in the company archives. It pictures three very handsome models with very ’90s haircuts posing by a muddied red truck. They’re wearing the tartan in question paired with chinos, classic wash jeans, and brass-buttoned tailoring. There’s a sense of sartorial playfulness and discovery in that old ad that the label should dig into. It’s fun, recognizable, and believable, all the things the Tommy Hilfiger heritage should stand for as it looks to the future.
16 August 2023
Streetwear increasingly seems to be entering its grown-up phase. A number of buzzy designers have snagged posts at storied luxury houses, sending out loose suits and opulent sweaters. Heck, Kith recently collaborated with luxury bedding brand Parachute on logofied sheets and duvet covers. The idea of what a hip, creative person wears is changing into something more tailored, more polished, and more refined.Tommy Hilfiger is well-poised to capitalize on this shift, especially among Millennial and Gen-Z shoppers. For a number of years now the celebrated designer has expanded traditional codes of prep and moved his international brand into a much more youth-focused and street-influenced direction. This continues with Hilfiger’s spring 23 collection, which the designer previewed at the brand’s offices in Manhattan. “I like to move away from just sweats,” Hilfiger says, showing off an immaculately tailored pair of chinos that would go great with an oversized cable-knit sweater. “We’ve been doing a lot of streetwear for many, many years and I like when it becomes much more elegant.”What excites Hilfiger about today’s fashion landscapes and the outfits he sees on New York’s streets? “Proportions,” he says. “And new shapes.” This is certainly reflected in the collection, design-wise. There are a number of pieces that fabulously align with trends and tastes among younger shoppers. There’s a chunky sweater in lime-green (a recurring color in the collection), which features a textural 3D waffle print. Hilfiger points to the garment and then holds up a pair of pleated trousers in the same bright, fluorescent shade and calls it a great look. There are also boat shoes that feature thick soles, jacquard baggy shorts, and a low-rise micro skirt and crop sweater. As he shows off garments that fabulously play with dimensions and silhouettes, it becomes clear Hilfiger has his eye planted firmly on tomorrow. (Many of the sweaters and hoodies in the collection are made with recycled polyester and sustainable denim is featured throughout.)Another chief influence on the nautical-tinged collection: Andy Warhol and the hazy days he spent at his Montauk, New York residence (some of which are poignantly documented in the recent Netflix documentaryThe Andy Warhol Diaries). Hilfiger, who has paid tribute to Warhol repeatedly, says his memories of the art icon still stick with him today.
“I met Andy when I moved here in the ’80s, and he took me to his factory,” he remembers, sharing his awe at viewing the hotel artist’s paintings of Mohammed Ali, Diana Ross, David Bowie, and others. “It blew me away.”“I always connected the brand with music and musicians,” the designer continues. “But then I thought, ‘Okay, but Andy’s doing pop cultural icons.’ I started evolving from doing groups of people from Hollywood—the sports world, the music world, influencers.”With this collection of washed styles, comfortable fabrics, and smart tailoring, it’s easy to imagine oneself as an off-duty artist vacationing in a private enclave. Or at least feel like one.
8 November 2022
Streetwear increasingly seems to be entering its grown-up phase. A number of buzzy designers have snagged posts at storied luxury houses, sending out loose suits and opulent sweaters. Heck, Kith recently collaborated with luxury bedding brand Parachute on logofied sheets and duvet covers. The idea of what a hip, creative person wears is changing into something more tailored, more polished, and more refined.Tommy Hilfiger is well-poised to capitalize on this shift, especially among Millennial and Gen-Z shoppers. For a number of years now the celebrated designer has expanded traditional codes of prep and moved his international brand into a much more youth-focused and street-influenced direction. This continues with Hilfiger’s spring 23 collection, which the designer previewed at the brand’s offices in Manhattan. “I like to move away from just sweats,” Hilfiger says, showing off an immaculately tailored pair of chinos that would go great with an oversized cable-knit sweater. “We’ve been doing a lot of streetwear for many, many years and I like when it becomes much more elegant.”What excites Hilfiger about today’s fashion landscapes and the outfits he sees on New York’s streets? “Proportions,” he says. “And new shapes.” This is certainly reflected in the collection, design-wise. There are a number of pieces that fabulously align with trends and tastes among younger shoppers. There’s a chunky sweater in lime-green (a recurring color in the collection), which features a textural 3D waffle print. Hilfiger points to the garment and then holds up a pair of pleated trousers in the same bright, fluorescent shade and calls it a great look. There are also boat shoes that feature thick soles, jacquard baggy shorts, and a low-rise micro skirt and crop sweater. As he shows off garments that fabulously play with dimensions and silhouettes, it becomes clear Hilfiger has his eye planted firmly on tomorrow. (Many of the sweaters and hoodies in the collection are made with recycled polyester and sustainable denim is featured throughout.)Another chief influence on the nautical-tinged collection: Andy Warhol and the hazy days he spent at his Montauk, New York residence (some of which are poignantly documented in the recent Netflix documentaryThe Andy Warhol Diaries). Hilfiger, who has paid tribute to Warhol repeatedly, says his memories of the art icon still stick with him today.
“I met Andy when I moved here in the ’80s, and he took me to his factory,” he remembers, sharing his awe at viewing the hotel artist’s paintings of Mohammed Ali, Diana Ross, David Bowie, and others. “It blew me away.”“I always connected the brand with music and musicians,” the designer continues. “But then I thought, ‘Okay, but Andy’s doing pop cultural icons.’ I started evolving from doing groups of people from Hollywood—the sports world, the music world, influencers.”With this collection of washed styles, comfortable fabrics, and smart tailoring, it’s easy to imagine oneself as an off-duty artist vacationing in a private enclave. Or at least feel like one.
8 November 2022
What doesprepmean in 2022? Redefining the term was Tommy Hilfiger’s mission for his new spring collection, roughly 40 years after he set the agenda with his original preppy sportswear. At a time when fashion trends are increasingly decentralized—with kids thrifting ’90s-era Tommy Girl jeans, ’60s miniskirts, and ’80s leather jackets in equal measure—and young menswear brands are putting their own spin on prep (see: Rowing Blazers, Noah, Fear of God), the challenge was to balance that special TH nostalgia with thoroughly modern touches.Suits came in ultrasoft ivory and blush jersey, a post-WFH alternative to rigid tailoring, while Hilfiger’s classic chinos were scaled up to new swagger-y proportions. His madras checks from the ’90s were similarly reimagined in a barely there pink, and his team unearthed a forgotten cursive logo from the archive to embroider onto Gen Z–friendly bucket hats, sweatshirts, and tees.Perhaps the most modern aspect about Hilfiger’s new vision of prep is its genderless spirit. Not so long ago, the dominant colors in the men’s assortment would be red and blue, but spring’s juicy palette of hibiscus, mango, and emerald was shown on women and men alike. Many of the guys were styled with the season’s new mini bag across their chests (a gesture we see often on the streets of New York). Likewise, Hilfiger’s chief design officer, Lee Holman, said more and more women are shopping from the men’s collection to get an extra-oversized feel. Many items here will be labeled as unisex, like the hoodies and luxe varsity jackets; Holman said those are already popular with kids leaning into the collegiate look.
7 December 2021
What doesprepmean in 2022? Redefining the term was Tommy Hilfiger’s mission for his new spring collection, roughly 40 years after he set the agenda with his original preppy sportswear. At a time when fashion trends are increasingly decentralized—with kids thrifting ’90s-era Tommy Girl jeans, ’60s miniskirts, and ’80s leather jackets in equal measure—and young menswear brands are putting their own spin on prep (see: Rowing Blazers, Noah, Fear of God), the challenge was to balance that special TH nostalgia with thoroughly modern touches.Suits came in ultrasoft ivory and blush jersey, a post-WFH alternative to rigid tailoring, while Hilfiger’s classic chinos were scaled up to new swagger-y proportions. His madras checks from the ’90s were similarly reimagined in a barely there pink, and his team unearthed a forgotten cursive logo from the archive to embroider onto Gen Z–friendly bucket hats, sweatshirts, and tees.Perhaps the most modern aspect about Hilfiger’s new vision of prep is its genderless spirit. Not so long ago, the dominant colors in the men’s assortment would be red and blue, but spring’s juicy palette of hibiscus, mango, and emerald was shown on women and men alike. Many of the guys were styled with the season’s new mini bag across their chests (a gesture we see often on the streets of New York). Likewise, Hilfiger’s chief design officer, Lee Holman, said more and more women are shopping from the men’s collection to get an extra-oversized feel. Many items here will be labeled as unisex, like the hoodies and luxe varsity jackets; Holman said those are already popular with kids leaning into the collegiate look.
7 December 2021
The great irony of designer “gorpcore” is that while the clothes suggest a deep affinity for nature, the materials they’re made of are actually killing the planet. Synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon have contributed to microplastic pollution in our oceans, and in 2019, scientists discovered Mount Everest’s snow has become saturated with Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, orPFAS, the nonbiodegradable, cancer-causing chemicals used in climbers’ waterproof parkas and boots.Our year in lockdown has made outdoorsy fashion—and actual outdoor activities, whether you’re hiking Everest or taking a long walk around town—even more desirable, but it’s important to consider how your gear is affecting your surroundings. Tommy Hilfiger’s team members had that in mind when they designed their fall 2021 men’s and women’s collections, which feature oversized utility parkas, puffer vests, drawstring flannels, slick bucket hats, and knits intarsia’d with Appalachian mountain landscapes. The team reported that it’s their most sustainably made collection yet: The fill in the parkas and vests is Ecoloft; much of the polyester was recycled; and they scaled up their use of both organic cotton (which requires less water and none of the pesticides found in conventional cotton) and wood-pulp fibers like Tencel and viscose that were sourced from responsibly managed forests.To those in the know, none of those developments will sound particularly novel, but what’s promising is that they’re becoming standard practice at a company as large as Tommy Hilfiger. It isn’t positioning itself as a “sustainable brand,” but recognizes the pivot our industry needs to make in order to protect its future—and the planet’s. Soon enough, making clothes that inflict less harm on the environment won’t even be a talking point, let alone a marketing strategy; it will simply be expected.
30 April 2021
The great irony of designer “gorpcore” is that while the clothes suggest a deep affinity for nature, the materials they’re made of are actually killing the planet. Synthetic fibers like polyester and nylon have contributed to microplastic pollution in our oceans, and in 2019, scientists discovered Mount Everest’s snow has become saturated with Per and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances, orPFAS, the nonbiodegradable, cancer-causing chemicals used in climbers’ waterproof parkas and boots.Our year in lockdown has made outdoorsy fashion—and actual outdoor activities, whether you’re hiking Everest or taking a long walk around town—even more desirable, but it’s important to consider how your gear is affecting your surroundings. Tommy Hilfiger’s team members had that in mind when they designed their fall 2021 men’s and women’s collections, which feature oversized utility parkas, puffer vests, drawstring flannels, slick bucket hats, and knits intarsia’d with Appalachian mountain landscapes. The team reported that it’s their most sustainably made collection yet: The fill in the parkas and vests is Ecoloft; much of the polyester was recycled; and they scaled up their use of both organic cotton (which requires less water and none of the pesticides found in conventional cotton) and wood-pulp fibers like Tencel and viscose that were sourced from responsibly managed forests.To those in the know, none of those developments will sound particularly novel, but what’s promising is that they’re becoming standard practice at a company as large as Tommy Hilfiger. It isn’t positioning itself as a “sustainable brand,” but recognizes the pivot our industry needs to make in order to protect its future—and the planet’s. Soon enough, making clothes that inflict less harm on the environment won’t even be a talking point, let alone a marketing strategy; it will simply be expected.
30 April 2021
After the pandemic shut down New York in March, Tommy Hilfiger migrated south. He’s spent most of his time in Palm Beach and Miami, and found his inspiration for spring in the area’s famous pastel architecture and outdoor activities: golf, tennis, boating, sunbathing. On first glance, the collection is a familiar mix of the brand’s reworked-prep style—striped oxfords, seersucker shorts, college blazers—but it isn’t cloyingly nostalgic. Instead, Hilfiger is proposing what “classic American style” should look like in the 2020s: more casual, more comfortable, more inclusive, and more sustainable.On the latter note, Hilfiger’s team pointed out that many of the pieces come in 100% organic cotton, from classic button-downs to heavily-embroidered cardigans; other items, like a shrunken varsity jacket, were spun from recycled polyester and nylon yarns. For a brand of Hilfiger’s scale, those tiny changes in fabrication can make a sizable impact, and it’s fair to expect more organic, sustainable, and recycled materials in the collections to come. Hilfiger’s parent company, PVH, was an early signatory to last year’s Fashion Pact, which just announced ambitious new goals for its brands’ commitments to renewable energy, plastic consumption, and preserving nature (i.e., supporting organic sourcing and divesting from fossil fuel-derived materials, like virgin polyester).Design-wise, the collection was a blend of timeless ease and tongue-in-cheek novelty, with proportions that looked merely comfortable, not trendy or deliberately “oversized.” The pieces that could pass for unisex stood out the most: On the women’s side, there were cropped nylon jackets and sailing parkas reissued from the archive, and on the men’s, baggy pleated khakis (a dominant trend on the women’s runways this month) and pale lemon chore jackets. One piece was actually styled in both look books: a color-blocked windbreaker with retro gold embroidery. With its nod to vintage and serious functionality, it’s the kind of jacket a Gen Z customer might want to live in.
15 October 2020
After the pandemic shut down New York in March, Tommy Hilfiger migrated south. He’s spent most of his time in Palm Beach and Miami, and found his inspiration for spring in the area’s famous pastel architecture and outdoor activities: golf, tennis, boating, sunbathing. On first glance, the collection is a familiar mix of the brand’s reworked-prep style—striped oxfords, seersucker shorts, college blazers—but it isn’t cloyingly nostalgic. Instead, Hilfiger is proposing what “classic American style” should look like in the 2020s: more casual, more comfortable, more inclusive, and more sustainable.On the latter note, Hilfiger’s team pointed out that many of the pieces come in 100% organic cotton, from classic button-downs to heavily-embroidered cardigans; other items, like a shrunken varsity jacket, were spun from recycled polyester and nylon yarns. For a brand of Hilfiger’s scale, those tiny changes in fabrication can make a sizable impact, and it’s fair to expect more organic, sustainable, and recycled materials in the collections to come. Hilfiger’s parent company, PVH, was an early signatory to last year’s Fashion Pact, which just announced ambitious new goals for its brands’ commitments to renewable energy, plastic consumption, and preserving nature (i.e., supporting organic sourcing and divesting from fossil fuel-derived materials, like virgin polyester).Design-wise, the collection was a blend of timeless ease and tongue-in-cheek novelty, with proportions that looked merely comfortable, not trendy or deliberately “oversized.” The pieces that could pass for unisex stood out the most: On the women’s side, there were cropped nylon jackets and sailing parkas reissued from the archive, and on the men’s, baggy pleated khakis (a dominant trend on the women’s runways this month) and pale lemon chore jackets. One piece was actually styled in both look books: a color-blocked windbreaker with retro gold embroidery. With its nod to vintage and serious functionality, it’s the kind of jacket a Gen Z customer might want to live in.
15 October 2020
It’s difficult to imagine what life, much less fashion, will look like on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic. With most of the world’s population sheltering in place, what’s clear is that the appetite for blanket dressing, all-enveloping knits, and comfy sweatpants is at an all-time high, at least for now.Tommy Hilfiger’s latest collection inadvertently extends the idea of a self-soothing wardrobe into fall, starting with reassuringly cozy outerwear. The brand’s classic jacket is injected with a shot of Western flair via a fluttering poncho-like silhouette that’s trimmed with fringing. The failsafe ’70s-inspired shearling coat has a touch of cowboy grit too, thanks to its paisley bandana print, a motif that’s repeated through more lightweight midi-length scarf dresses and skirts.With its charming patchwork quilt pattern, Hilfiger’s statement puffer also channels the mood of the moment. Ditto for the buffalo-check vests, peacoats, and extra-long collegiate-style cardigans. All in all, these are the kind of reliable, creature comforts that will hold their own once it’s safe to venture out into the world again.
8 April 2020
It’s difficult to imagine what life, much less fashion, will look like on the other side of the coronavirus pandemic. With most of the world’s population sheltering in place, what’s clear is that the appetite for blanket dressing, all-enveloping knits, and comfy sweatpants is at an all-time high, at least for now.Tommy Hilfiger’s latest collection inadvertently extends the idea of a self-soothing wardrobe into fall, starting with reassuringly cozy outerwear. The brand’s classic jacket is injected with a shot of Western flair via a fluttering poncho-like silhouette that’s trimmed with fringing. The failsafe ’70s-inspired shearling coat has a touch of cowboy grit too, thanks to its paisley bandana print, a motif that’s repeated through more lightweight midi-length scarf dresses and skirts.With its charming patchwork quilt pattern, Hilfiger’s statement puffer also channels the mood of the moment. Ditto for the buffalo-check vests, peacoats, and extra-long collegiate-style cardigans. All in all, these are the kind of reliable, creature comforts that will hold their own once it’s safe to venture out into the world again.
8 April 2020
With his 35th anniversary on the horizon, Tommy Hilfiger is in a retrospective mood. For Spring 2020, the brand’s original crest was writ large on classic striped button-downs and archival pieces that have been updated in time for the celebrations, including a cream and white varsity jacket. Peek inside one of the reissued men’s peacoats and you’ll find a refresher on the provenance of that distinctive 1985 motif, a combination of lion, laurel, and sword, printed on the lining. For millennial men and women drawn to the designer’s throwback styles, this will be a succinct lesson in fashion history.Preppy values remain at the heart of what Hilfiger does—the label’s logo is a riff on traditional sailing flags, after all. The most compelling reworkings of those codes came through in the collection’s nautical bent, in charming maritime scarf dresses tied with ribbon, flag-print pajama suits, and seafaring parkas. Red, white, and blue have always been the core colors in the designer’s vision of sportswear, and there were stars and stripes of every kind woven through his new offering, starting with a graphic star-spangled navy and white midi skirt and ending with a traditional American flag sweater.
18 October 2019
With his 35th anniversary on the horizon, Tommy Hilfiger is in a retrospective mood. For Spring 2020, the brand’s original crest was writ large on classic striped button-downs and archival pieces that have been updated in time for the celebrations, including a cream and white varsity jacket. Peek inside one of the reissued men’s peacoats and you’ll find a refresher on the provenance of that distinctive 1985 motif, a combination of lion, laurel, and sword, printed on the lining. For millennial men and women drawn to the designer’s throwback styles, this will be a succinct lesson in fashion history.Preppy values remain at the heart of what Hilfiger does—the label’s logo is a riff on traditional sailing flags, after all. The most compelling reworkings of those codes came through in the collection’s nautical bent, in charming maritime scarf dresses tied with ribbon, flag-print pajama suits, and seafaring parkas. Red, white, and blue have always been the core colors in the designer’s vision of sportswear, and there were stars and stripes of every kind woven through his new offering, starting with a graphic star-spangled navy and white midi skirt and ending with a traditional American flag sweater.
18 October 2019
In February, Tommy Hilfiger staged his final Tommy x Gigi spectacular in Milan, but if you thought he was “over” mega-shows and celebrity collaborations, he’s just getting started. On September 4, he’ll stage his fifth around-the-world "TommyNow" event in Shanghai, China, which will include his first capsule with his latest collaborator: race car driver Lewis Hamilton. It’s happening just outside the regular Fashion Week schedule, which means editors and buyers will be crisscrossing the globe just two days before New York Fashion Week begins; many of them have already started their visa applications.We’ve gotten a sneak peek got of what Tommy x Lewis might entail: souvenir jackets, new flag logo T-shirts, suede hiking boots, and multi-checked shirting—effectively a mix of streetwear and classic sport elements. A few of those details carried over to Hilfiger’s Spring 2019 menswear collection, shown via appointment in his Madison Avenue headquarters, but the bigger takeaway for Spring was a return to his nautical roots. Sailing flags were intarsia’d on cotton knits or collaged together into a kaleidoscopic print on a nylon hoodie and matching bucket hat, and in several instances, vintage logos were collaged, too. The Tommy crest appeared layered over flags on a T-shirt or spliced with a collegiate “New York State” logo on a Technicolor hoodie, and elsewhere, flags were blown up and abstracted into thick embroideries. The collage idea was mirrored in his classic shirting, too, from multi-striped button-downs to boxy jackets with swaths of brightly colored checks.Those old-school Americana vibes are likely to be a hit in Asia, where Hilfiger is hoping to expand (hence the Shanghai show). There’s a huge market for vintage Ralph Lauren and Hilfiger menswear in China and Japan, and the preppy sweaters and reworked logos look a bit retro without the hassle of searching for the 1985 originals.
10 July 2018
Later this month, Tommy Hilfiger will be in Milan for his fourth and final around-the-world spectacular with Gigi Hadid. The Spring ’18 fashion show-slash-party is guaranteed to close Milan Fashion Week on an upbeat note, and, as always, fans will be able to purchase the clothes immediately. Hilfiger’s women’s Pre-Fall and Fall 2018 menswear collections were shown on the “regular” calendar—i.e., several months before they arrive in stores—but offer a few clues about what to expect in forthcoming collections. Both lineups had a nostalgic, plucked-from-the-archives feeling, with reissued classics, vintage TH logos and motifs, and lots of statement coats.In recent seasons—and in step with a major ’90s comeback—Hilfiger has been embracing his signature flag, transforming it into color-blocked knits or graphic stripes. In this delivery, the flag was embroidered in miniature on baggy jeans, striped button-downs, and preppy chinos. He also brought back his heritage crest from 1985, printing it on T-shirts and fanny packs or needle-punching it into comfy, vintage-looking mohair sweaters. Several of those sweaters were cut for both girls and guys, as was a burgundy corduroy sherpa coat. (Plenty of guys will be into those fanny packs, too.)The overarching theme was a “his for her” mix of feminine and masculine touches, mirroring the way Hilfiger’s young customers probably shop. Who cares what section you’re in anymore? That was mostly felt in the women’s tailoring and of-the-moment “men’s fabrics” like checks and plaids, but we’d be curious to see a few feminine flourishes in his menswear, too.
1 February 2018
Later this month, Tommy Hilfiger will be in Milan for his fourth and final around-the-world spectacular with Gigi Hadid. The Spring ’18 fashion show-slash-party is guaranteed to close Milan Fashion Week on an upbeat note, and, as always, fans will be able to purchase the clothes immediately. Hilfiger’s women’s Pre-Fall and Fall 2018 menswear collections were shown on the “regular” calendar—i.e., several months before they arrive in stores—but offer a few clues about what to expect in forthcoming collections. Both lineups had a nostalgic, plucked-from-the-archives feeling, with reissued classics, vintage TH logos and motifs, and lots of statement coats.In recent seasons—and in step with a major ’90s comeback—Hilfiger has been embracing his signature flag, transforming it into color-blocked knits or graphic stripes. In this delivery, the flag was embroidered in miniature on baggy jeans, striped button-downs, and preppy chinos. He also brought back his heritage crest from 1985, printing it on T-shirts and fanny packs or needle-punching it into comfy, vintage-looking mohair sweaters. Several of those sweaters were cut for both girls and guys, as was a burgundy corduroy sherpa coat. (Plenty of guys will be into those fanny packs, too.)The overarching theme was a “his for her” mix of feminine and masculine touches, mirroring the way Hilfiger’s young customers probably shop. Who cares what section you’re in anymore? That was mostly felt in the women’s tailoring and of-the-moment “men’s fabrics” like checks and plaids, but we’d be curious to see a few feminine flourishes in his menswear, too.
1 February 2018
Come September, Tommy Hilfiger will combine his men’s and women’s collections in one giant see-now-buy-now roadshow. The location will be London, with potential stops further east in Europe and even farther flung in future seasons. But Hilfiger’s been one of the great exporters of the American dream since his earliest days in the business. The men’s collection he showed at Pitti Uomo fits the profile. There was a loose reinterpretation of Old Glory on a fuzzy sweater. Bigger picture, team Hilfiger used camouflage, patch-working it on rugged nylon shirts and tees that look like they could do double-duty as rainproof outerwear. To be sure, there were also riffs on the red, white, and blue rugbies that count as his first signature—sans logos, though, which looks like a missed opportunity given that they are absolutely everywhere at the moment, and the company’s long history of using them.Beyond all-American tropes and brand signatures, the development here was in keeping with the trend seen elsewhere on the men’s runways for bigger, baggier pants. Ask a retailer and they’ll tell you: menswear is experiencing an upsurge, and American and international brands are reworking the look Hilfiger put his stamp on back in the day. Uniting the guys with Gigi and co. in London could kick this collection into gear, and renew its relevance with a crowd that is currently turned on to those other labels.
19 July 2017
The historic Venice trestle sign lit the way to the beach in Los Angeles for decades, though tonight the twinkling letters of its restored version were competing with an even bigger and brighter sign, one that spelled out the wordTommyland. It’s one of the first times thatTommy Hilfigerhas undertaken a production of this kind outside of New York Fashion Week, and his latest project comes around six months afterthe brand’sfirst collaborative effort withGigi Hadidat South Street Seaport in Manhattan. There was a similar carnival atmosphere at the event today—amusement park rides, food vendors—though certain aspects were totally specific to the kooky scene that is Venice Beach—unicyclists, flame throwers, and a circle of long-haired drummers huddled together on Mexican blankets. In fact the young eager shoppers who streamed in through the gates in cutoff jeans, fedoras, and ankle boots looked like they’d just driven in from a weekend at Coachella.It’s a familiar scene for Hilfiger’s codesigner Hadid, who grew up near the beach. “I was thinking about Santa Monica Pier, and what I might wear for a day at the amusement park and the candy shop,” the supermodel said backstage before the show. “Maybe it’s boyfriend jeans, or an oversize shirt you borrowed from your uncle and chopped into a crop top. The idea was that it could have been made with family and friends.” All of Hadid’s nearest and dearest were in attendance: Her mother Yolanda and brother Anwar sat front row, while Bella Hadid walked the runway right after Gigi opened the show dressed in low-slung leather biker pants, cowboy boots, a sporty patchwork jacket, and a crop top that revealed her perfectly sculpted midriff.That first look hit on most of the major Hilfiger tropes that played out in the collection: throwback ’90s sportswear, Western grit, and all-American denim with a dash of hippie handwork thrown in for good measure. A vintage pair of patchworked Hilfiger jeans that the designer had worked on with his siblings was retrieved from the archives and reimagined with the social media generation in mind—think: emoji patches in place of peace signs—and it’s those infinitely Instagrammable pieces that stood out the most today. Even chinos, the linchpin of a classic preppy wardrobe, were reimagined with a young, cool customer in mind, and came with quirky hand-embroidery that would certainly make for a pretty picture.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Tommy show without the star-spangled banner in the mix, and that all-American motif was chopped and twisted in every way imaginable, ranging from the most literal American flag cardigans to boho dresses spliced with a red-white-and-blue motif.Whether you’re much of a festival-lover or not, the idea of a show that’s open to all has implications that resonate beyond the runway in tumultuous political times such as these. Hadid underscored the importance of the show being welcoming, “because a lot of the time fashion has been very exclusive.” Though the consumer-facing, see-now-buy-now format might have disrupted the fashion system, it has leveled the playing field for consumers who are invited to enjoy the experience and all the perks that come with life on the front row, including the luxury of leaving the show with the same clothes that the supermodels wore on the runway. There were certainly girls in the crowd who bagged the charming patterned patchwork maxi dress that Gigi wore to close the show. Though it would be tough for anyone to re-create her glamorous exit tonight—she was seen jumping into the back of Lady Gaga’s white Rolls-Royce in her maxi dress with a huge bouquet of yellow roses in her hand.
9 February 2017
There were few clothes to see or touch at the Tommy Hilfiger Pitti stand. It almost didn’t matter. For by using a very, very large tablet computer, you could scroll through or zoom in or watch on video pretty much all of the Fall ’17 collection to your heart’s content.This device was called the Digital Showroom, an in-house-developed system that allows Hilfiger to present its full span of collections to buyers in intimate detail without having to cart endless samples around the world. It was very impressive—even if for Luddites like this one there is no true substitute for seeing what you’ve come to see.The night before, some millennial celebrities, including Lucky Blue Smith, had been on hand to wear a selection of pieces from Hilfiger’s Edition Label Fall ’17 offering, and the pictures looked good. The few items that were on the mannequins at the fair looked good, too. Some touched subtly back to Hilfiger’s ’90s explosion: attractive oversize bombers; wide-arm, boat-neck varsity striped tops; and a big Tommy logo on what looked like a mohair sweatshirt. Mashed-up tartans on shirting, unsullied tartan on jackets, deep-V colored cricket sweaters, check topcoats, and deconstructed logo rugby shirts were other ingredients in this carefully expressed balance of preppiness and ease. Even when only on-screen, it almost all appeared highly swipeable.
13 January 2017
Tommy Hilfigerhas built some pretty impressive sets in his time—Caribbean-inspired beach scenes, football fields, and artifical snow-capped mountains spring to mind—but the show he put on today took the New York Fashion Week spectacle to audacious new heights. Hilfiger orchestrated a carnival along the pier at South Street Seaport, complete with old-school arcade and a dizzying 40-foot Ferris wheel. Those fun and games ultimately set the stage for the brand’s biggest and boldest move to date: its first buy-now-wear-now, consumer-facing collection and a highly anticipated collaboration withGigi Hadid. Editors, buyers, and members of Hadid’s superstar girlsquad, includingTaylor Swift, rubbed shoulders with 2,000 eager fashion fans who scored tickets for the show.With a social media following that’s roughly three times the population of New York City, Hadid isn’t fazed by that kind of attention. In fact she’s able to crowd-source the likes and dislikes of her young and highly engaged audience by simply posting a selfie on Instagram. Her off-duty looks often fan the flames of trends that find themselves on the runway: When Hadid wears over-the-knee boots to the airport, the rest of the world quickly follows in her footsteps. That’s perhaps why Hilfiger, who loves nothing more than a singular theme, gave the supermodel permission to address the many personalities in her wardrobe. There was festival girl Gigi (a long, sheer printed dress accessorized with a fringed bandana, for example), rock ’n’ roll girlfriend Gigi (studded biker jackets and low-slung distressed jeans that her boyfriend Zayn Malik would approve of), bombshell Gigi (think sweater-as-dress and not much else), and perhaps the most compelling Gigi of them all: the sporty and cool one.Before the show, Hadid shared her own memories of the brand, reminiscing on the first sweatshirt she bought as a kid growing up in Southern California in the early aughts, and the Hilfiger campaigns that prompted her to pursue a career in modeling. The oversize tracksuits, simple cotton logo bras, and exposed boxer shorts worn by Hadid pals such as Hailey Baldwin spoke to the throwback obsessions so widely circulated on social media right now—think images of the late R&B singer and former Tommy girl Aaliyah, whose sexy, tomboy swagger paved the way for superstars likeRihanna.
As well as the pieces from the collection that were on sale on the pier tonight, there was a stand filled with reworked vintage Hilfiger from the ’90s that looked just as fresh in the mix. That connectivity to collective millennial nostalgia will certainly put the brand in good stead as it rides the wave into fashion’s future.
15 February 2016
Optimism, athleticism, patriotism. Those are the words conjured up byTommy Hilfiger’s new collection. Resort is a lively mix of color-blocking, patchwork prints, and Americana, with super-youthful results. These are play clothes for extroverts and inveterate preps, destined for good times.As in Hilfiger’s recent men’s presentation, the rugby got a rethink—make thatrethinksplural in collages of stripes, cropped silhouettes, or surprising materials. Tennis and track and field produced other key pieces, including a vintage-look logo sweatshirt with a cutaway back. Nearly everything got the slicing and dicing treatment, from a cropped jean jacket that combined dark-rinse denim and Liberty print–style florals to a Lurex knit cardigan in a crosshatch of star and stripes à la the American flag. (These clothes will arrive in stores in November, post-election; let’s hope we have a reason to feel patriotic about our country then.)Hilfiger hit all the timely notes: Bombers, track suits, and the elevated sweatshirt were well-represented. The athleisurely-ness of the collection meant that a trim blazer and slim floral-print trousers stood out. If we had to make a bet, it’s the satin track shorts withTommyspelled out across the bum that will grab his shoppers’ attention.
28 July 2016
Iconic was the buzzword in theTommy Hilfigerdesign studio this season. The Hilfiger Edition team was charged with identifying preppy classics from the archives, and updating them for today. With a label as ingrained in the pop culture consciousness as TH, that’s not a daunting task, but this was no basic collection of glorified logo tees and sweats. Despite their ubiquity elsewhere, the Hilfiger crew steered clear of such easy, obvious fare. And what a relief; the athleisure craze has certainly reached its acme, or let’s hope it has, at least.That’s not to say that this collection didn’t have an athletic angle. On the contrary, a rugby reinterpreted as a spliced and patchworked hoodie was among the presentation’s most appealing pieces. Bandana-print windbreakers, a color-blocked anorak, and a short parka in regatta stripes counted among the other highlights. Hilfiger Edition will be a reliable resource for lively outerwear next Spring. Innerwear of a sort was also a focus. The TH team proposed floral-print pajamas—better worn separately than as a head-to-toe matching set—and the footwear of choice was a glorified shower sandal. Tailored suits looked classic and crisp enough, but peel open those trim blazers and they too were lined in delicate florals.
14 July 2016
How do you get guys to re-buy the classics? That, in a nutshell, was the question posed byTommy Hilfigerto his team as they brainstormed this season’s Hilfiger Edition menswear collection. The obvious answer is to give the kinds of preppy staples that Hilfiger has traded in since the ’80s a major update; for Hilfiger, “update” translated to “upgrade.” This was a collection enamored of fine materials and rich, unexpected detail—to wit, the unexpectedly stern leather used in a field jacket with geometric pockets, and the shearling collar and doubled zip on a rather natty navy puffer. A great deal of attention was given to trims, stitch details, and tonal accents—all handled with a light touch, but noticeable enough to make the garments pop.Hilfiger’s updating extended as well to the relaxed mien of this collection, reflected especially in its nods, here and there, to pajamas (even the collection’s tux got pajama-fied) and, more generally, in the clothing’s easygoing shapes. The Tommy team had combed the archive for signature pieces, and then translated them into new boxier and baggier silhouettes. Dressy striped wool trousers in a slack, pajama-bottom shape epitomized the approach and will undoubtedly hold a lot of appeal for dudes with desk jobs but zero patience for formal office attire. These days, that’s quite a constituency.
3 February 2016
AfterSpring’s jaunt to the Caribbean,Tommy Hilfigersailed closer to home forPre-Fall. The new collection had a nautical theme that was right in line with the spirit of the brand, down to the patriotic red, white, and blue logo. Whether you remember photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt’s V-J Day kissing image or that infamous Fleet WeekSex and the Cityepisode, the appeal of a dashing seaman is the same: Between charming Breton stripes, naval coats, and sailor tattoo prints, this season there was plenty of that love to go around.The familiar Tommy classics got the nautical treatment, starting with the varsity jackets of Fall, which were reconfigured with a sailor collar and likely to be just as popular. With their shiny gold buttons and high-waisted cut, the raw denim in the collection was a nice update on the traditional wool sailor pant: Worn with a matching jean jacket, the resulting look was a fresh take on the Texas tuxedo. The counterintuitive styling in the collection is sure to give gorgeous tomboys such as modelImmy Waterhouse—sister ofSuki, who stars in the lookbook—new fashion ideas, too. The perfect match? A ’30s-inspired print frock paired with an oversize military coat that could have been borrowed from your boyfriend, in this case a handsome man in uniform.
13 January 2016
Palm trees, sun-soaked beaches, rum punch . . . island life presents what is arguably the most alluring of chill situations.Tommy Hilfiger, who has been a regular visitor to the isle of Mustique for the past 30 years, would know. And today he took the fashion world on a mini tropical escape with his Spring 2016 show, where the runway was a boardwalk circumscribing a lagoon, complete with its own beach-bar shack.Of course it’s impossible to envision the Caribbean without thinking of its biggest cultural icon: Bob Marley. Beyond his musical legacy, his influence on fashion continues to reverberate. If the number of times his face has been printed on a T-shirt were counted in music sale units, his image would have gone platinum a thousand times over.There were no Bob shirts on the runway today. Instead, all the coolest things in his wardrobe were taken apart and redone in a youthful, playful way: knitted bucket hats in sunny colors, mesh vests done as floor-length cover-ups, and his signature soccer tracksuit rendered in burgundy suede and finished with crochet insets. And speaking of crochet, the boho textile was all over the collection, including the neckline of patchwork and billowing chiffon dresses. The crochet bathing suit, that linchpin of a ’70s bohemian wardrobe, was re-created in several ways, too, and it was refreshing to seeGigi Hadid, a model whose gorgeous womanly body recalls the first wave of free-spirited travelers that came to Jamaica in the late ’60s, striding down the runway in a string bikini. Reason enough to want to run off to a tropical island, or at least dress the part until you can.
14 September 2015
Tommy Hilfiger is not in the business of selling complicated fantasies. This season, what he offered his menswear customers was a riff on high-end island hopping, from Honolulu to the Vineyard—plus a bonus fantasy of pretending to be Rafael Nadal. With island hops in mind, Hilfiger served up an array of summer whites, various takes on the bateau stripe, pop color, and denim tailoring, plus a handful of sporty outerwear pieces, such as baseball jackets and anoraks. His canniest move here may have been to show his suits "broken," i.e., with the jackets and trousers in different materials. A pair of white cotton sateen pants, for instance, were worn with a white linen blazer. The effect was natty, but with a casual mien. Elsewhere, Hilfiger reversed the trick, turning out laid-back items such a denim jacket in gleaming, bonded white leather, or a tab-collar jacket in soft suede. And everything was cut very trim, which gave the collection as a whole a sense of smartness, despite its gestures toward informality. For a wholly dressed-up look, meanwhile, there was the trio of tailored Rafael Nadal Edition suits, which were perfectly nice looking and distinguished only by the fact that, as Hilfiger HQ explained, they were produced using "high-performance fabrics" and "environmentally friendly technology." Despite the fact that the models wearing the suits held rackets, they probably weren't meant for playing tennis in. Different fantasy.
15 July 2015
Tommy Hilfiger started his namesake company in 1985. It's been three decades since he famously erected a billboard in Times Square declaring that "T.H."—an unknown entity at the time—was one of the four "great American designers," alongside R.L., C.K., and P.E. (You can guess who those other initials belong to.)Gutsy, sure. But the stunt not only helped to establish Hilfiger in the traditional sense—as in, it introduced him to the shopping public—it also set the bar for how much he was willing to put himself out there. In the past 30 years, Hilfiger has ridden the wave of designer stardom, sometimes expertly, sometimes not, but always with a certain admirable confidence. Maybe that's because he has been unfailing in his love of Americana in its many, many guises. To kick off his 30th anniversary celebration, he created a Fall collection inspired equally by American football andLove Story."I wanted to marry sport with luxury," Hilfiger said at his showroom as the film played on a flat screen in the lobby.He staged the show at the Park Avenue Armory, which was transformed into a football stadium, with a Jumbotron capturing the fashion plays as models walked the AstroTurf runway in Ali MacGraw-inspired '70s-prep silhouettes. They were wearing faux-fur stadium jackets with red-stitched toggles, wool cashmere ponchos, and several looks in bouclé plaid. The jacket of a shorts suit, for instance, was decorated with a knitted striped collar. Those athletic stripes added a sporty detail to just about every item, many of which were decorated with little pins and stars reminiscent of 1940s football paraphernalia. Even the truly novel pieces, like a plaid-lined leather stadium poncho worn by Southern California model Gigi Hadid, was more modern-optimistic than crazy-kitschy. The It thing, though, will be the football-lace boots. A showpiece that has the potential to be a closet favorite, they were made for the pages of a sports-themed editorial.For Hilfiger, this was just the beginning of a year of celebration. He's currently in the midst of writing his memoir, taking stock of the brand's history. "When I started designing this collection, I took all the inspiration from everything I loved, from sports to music to the outdoors to iconic women," he said. "I've always wanted to make what was cool back then and make it relevant for today." This season, he stuck to his word.
16 February 2015
Ladies and gentleman, introducing Tommy Hilfiger's Lonely Hearts Club Band. After going through something of a preppy phase, for Spring Hilfiger emphatically reasserted his love for the golden years of rock 'n' roll. Guests were greeted by a lush grass carpet strewn with gerbera daisies (echoing that iconic Beatles cover) that led up to a bandstand manned by not one but two live drummers. And if Hilfiger went all-out with the stage, the clothes hit that note even louder. "I've had a dream of doing a full collection of rock-style clothing for a very long time now. People don't really know me now for my love of music—the Beatles, the Stones, Hendrix, the Who—so I thought I would celebrate my passion, my beginnings, my roots," said Hilfiger at a preview.None other than Georgia May Jagger kicked things off in a regimental stripe cape and matching short shorts. You could imagine her marching from an outdoor festival in 1969 onto the grounds of Glastonbury today. Hilfiger is a verifiable scholar on the topic of "rock style" (the title of a coffee-table book he put out a while back), and aimed to keep the look authentic. Models covered in hand-painted tattoos hit the runway in a high-octane mix of skinny, Lurex-striped suiting; patchwork denim; and colorful faux furs worthy of Penny Lane.While some of the lineup came across as a bittoocostumey—several of the girls even toted electric guitars—Hilfiger was careful to keep the fit current. Unlike the "elephant bells" he wore during the Summer of Love, these pants were ultra-slim through the knees before kicking out into flares. Without a doubt, flares are emerging as a key silhouette this season. Hilfiger spun his take in shiny vinyl, explaining, "Back then, a lot of people couldn't afford real leather, so they'd buy patent and then weather it down themselves."Other modern proposals here included sequined concert T-shirts, metallic Chelsea boots, and star-spangled baby dolls like the pleated number shown on Keith Richards' granddaughter, Ella. Speaking of 21st-century foxes, the show's most-Instagrammed award went to Kendall Jenner, who proved her pinup status in a pair of barely there short shorts, before reappearing in an ethereal capelet gown cut from diaphanous chiffon. Hilfiger is a savvy businessman and tapped into fashion's palpable rock-and-roll mood—most recently popularized by Hedi Slimane—at the right moment in terms of mainstream appeal.
But to be fair, Tommy was rocking out long before Hedi, and he made a persuasive, distinctly American case for the look.
8 September 2014
The nifty carabiner-clipped show invitation and an elaborate, wintry set (complete with craggy peaks, powdered snow, fir trees, ski chalets, and even a chairlift overhead) clearly communicated that Tommy Hilfiger was inspired by the great American outdoors for Fall—even before the first model stepped out onto the wooden plank runway. Drawing on a range of rugged references, including technical mountaineering gear and Western workwear, Hilfiger explored his adventurous theme in a compelling, modern way.Considering the arctic cold front that's descended on New York fashion week, the designer couldn't have chosen a better season to roll out a collection chock-full of high-performance parkas lined in fleecy shearling (equipped with fun bungee-cord details) that had need-it-now appeal. Hilfiger stirred up an equally cozy feeling by mixing together Technicolor plaids on soft shirtdresses and fringy wool skirts. "We've always done tartans. We've always done outdoorsy," he said at a preview, pointing to one of his early ad campaigns from the late eighties that turned up on Fall's mood board. Without a doubt, this strong outing occupied familiar territory for the brand.Hilfiger wove Western elements throughout the lineup, showing raw denim pieces and utility jumpsuits that suggested "real heartland America," according to the designer. Meanwhile, suede "Marlboro Man jackets" and leather cowgirl boots channeled Neil Young's "Cinnamon Girl," which played on the soundtrack.Rich textures played an important role here. Hilfiger added bonded treatments to plush velveteen (found on puffer vests and sweatshirt dresses) and a tan leather shearling coat. For evening, he sent out a pair of plaid mohair blanket gowns featuring delicate, slightly bohemian embellishments. They were just the kind of thing you could picture a young actress wearing to her film premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
9 February 2014
Tommy Hilfiger brought the beach to New York City for his Spring runway show today, trucking in tons of sand to transform Pier 94 into a shoreside boardwalk. The impressive set complemented the West Coast theme of the new collection, which paid tribute to California's scuba, skate, and surf cultures. While those laid-back, sun-kissed lifestyles have already been well referenced by the fashion community in recent seasons, they dovetailed perfectly with Hilfiger's signature preppy, athletic aesthetic—a match made in Malibu. Classic polo dresses were updated in bright neoprene-bonded leather, for example, which gave the country club staple a modern structure. The high-tech material got a lot of mileage here. It was used on rash guard-style tops and cutout maillot swimsuits, which looked particularly fresh layered underneath a double-breasted chambray suit. Additionally, dark-wash jeans and denim shorts came backed in the stretchy scuba stuff, and the hybrid result was ultra-flattering.Keeping his finger on the pulse, Hilfiger also included several sporty jerseys that added some on-trend street cred to the mix, including the luxurious leather one Joan Smalls donned, which was embroidered with the number "1." "I've been seeing cool girls in the East Village rocking Knicks jerseys as dresses, and they just feel right," Hilfiger said at a preview. He was right about that. These clothes were ultimately what girls want to be wearing now.
8 September 2013
This was an especially confident outing for Tommy Hilfiger. And no wonder: Hilfiger is far from the only designer referencing hoary menswear suiting materials this season, but he is one of the few lucky ones whose house style bears a familial resemblance to the trend. Hilfiger's stock-in-trade collegiate prep may not be a sibling of classic English tailoring, but it's certainly a second or third cousin of the look. In other words, Hilfiger was on firm ground here, and his collection had all the conviviality, and virtually none of the awkwardness, of a big family reunion.Hilfiger expressed the Savile Row theme largely through check: This collection was bursting with Prince of Wales checks and houndstooth checks and plaids, which he magnified and riffed into pieces such as abbreviated minis, double-breasted blazers, and a panoply of solid outerwear. An emphatic burgundy-toned Prince of Wales peacoat trimmed in shearling was very good; even nattier, though, were the coats in which the checks had been deployed with more restraint, such as a camel coat with houndstooth detailing and red leather trim or an overcoat with a subdued houndstooth of black and navy. Alongside the check, Hilfiger also made effective use of argyle and pinstripe. The most intriguing development in this collection, though, was its touch of futurism—leather-bonded cable knits and leather Prince of Wales jackets with a technical matte-ness added a new texture to the Tommy aesthetic. At heart, Hilfiger is a nostalgist, but this show found him giving his atavistic impulses a modern spin.
9 February 2013
Tommy Hilfiger is in fact fashion's second Tommy. The first, Mr. Nutter, was an irreverent Englishman who delighted in taking the piss from Savile Row seriousness in the sixties and seventies. For his Fall show, Tommy paid homage to Tommy. "I love Savile Row tailoring," Hilfiger said before the show. He waxed fond about Nutter and the clients who loved him: the Beatles, who wore Nutter on the cover ofAbbey Road, Bowie, the Stones.Nutter favored bold patterns. Therein lay Hilfiger's greatest debt. Men's designers this season have been rediscovering the classics—houndstooth, glen plaid, Prince of Wales—and Hilfiger took them all, piled them on top of one another, and played with the scale. But this was Tommy on Tommy (maybe that should be Tommy, Tommyfied), so the proportions were 2013. "The real sixties and seventies Savile Row pieces have four-to-six-inch lapels," Hilfiger said. "We've reshaped it for today." The fabric innovations were today, too. Wools were bonded to macs or to shearlings, which themselves were flocked with patterns. Knits were bonded to leather and ponyskin. In the case of an argyle sweater, what looked 2-D from afar turned out to be a study in 3-D relief."Savile Row meets Ivy League," Hilfiger's own description, is the kind of glib catchphrase he delivers every season. It didn't come close to capturing the suave, brash fabulosity of the collection. (A teddy-fur jacket was actually Steiff—it could've been your childhood bear!) It wasn't just that Tommy was coming full circle to his predecessor Tommy. It was that the Englishness that consultant Simon Spurr has been injecting into the collections these past few seasons sat side by side with Hilfiger's made-in-the-U.S.A. reds, whites, and blues—bonded together, literally. It marked the summa of a fruitful collaboration that's coming, alas, to a close. Which fact alone is enough to make you hope that these clothes make their wending way to the stores.
7 February 2013
The music at this evening's Tommy Hilfiger show was perfectly good. Catchy, even. But it does seem a bit of a shame that the brand didn't commission, say, a house remix of that old Christopher Cross earworm "Sailing," or a hip-hop mash-up featuring Boston's "Come Sail Away." It would have been obvious, but that's the point: Hilfiger and his team weren't exactly playing coy with the nautical references this season. Indeed, they seemed to be taking a great deal of pleasure in making big and lively interpretations of sailcloth, stripes, and fisherman knits, among other staples of the seafaring look. Women will have fun with these looks, too—in particular, the oversize red, white, and blue suit jackets, slouchy patchwork denim, and swinging tent dresses boasting sexy open backs. And many of the pieces here benefited from unexpected finishes, such as the boxy navy-striped sailor's tee, with a slick, stiff coating of wax. There were a few off notes: The pinkish khakis, for instance, would have been better without the rather mannered discoloration, and the beige cabled sweaters were oddly proportioned and seemed a little out of place. All in all, however, this was a punchy collection offering a cheerful take on Americana.
8 September 2012
Monomania has gripped Tommy Hilfiger. Some see spots; he's seeing stripes. Everywhere in his Spring men's collection there were stripes, and often there were stripes on stripes. Cuke-cool though he is, Hilfiger proves up to the task of teasing and worrying such an idea into submission. You can see why the thought would appeal. Stripes have a long and varied history to draw on—including every preppy's favorite, seersucker—and at present, they're enjoying a very long moment in the sun. So stripes are now also big business, and you can trust Tommy to go for a piece of the pie. When the results are as antic and fun as they were today, why not? This collection, designed with consultant Simon Spurr and styled by Karl Templer, had a whirligig energy on the runway but should have legs in stores, too.Mash-ups abounded, like Breton-striped jerseys fused onto poplin shirts or backing cotton jackets, or seersucker blazers silk-screened with perpendicular lines. Themarinièretop got redone in leather on leather and then, for good measure, paired with a matching jacket. Racing stripes, nautical stripes in rope, regimental stripes—there they were, everywhere you looked, zigzagging across shirt fronts, slashing the back pockets of jeans, the ones you couldn't miss and the ones hiding in plain sight like Ninas in a Hirschfeld cartoon. In the good old days of Simon Spurr's namesake collection, from which he's now separated, he had a fondness for stripes too, but he never used them as wonkily as he did here. They pepped up prep, Hilfiger's enduring and ever-present fascination. In wide usage though they are, here was a reminder that stripes aren't made, they're earned.
6 September 2012
Town and Country. That was the name of Tommy Hilfiger's Fall collection, which broadened his preppy girl's world to include the horsey world of the hunt club in addition to Park Avenue. It's an inspiration you'd expect to yield a polished look, but seeing how this collection very closely traced his military-themed menswear collection shown a few days ago, the result was supremely precise. The trio of high-necked, double-breasted coats with bullion trim that opened the show almost demanded that you stand at attention.The show was at its best when Hilfiger remixed the various elements of the upper-class equestrienne's world. The quilted suede of a field jacket was fashioned into a slyly sexy skirt with a semi-attached panel of colored leather. Fisherman's cables were printed on silk dresses, and an actual cable-knit sweater came trimmed with quilted suede on the shoulders and little buckles at the sleeves. The highlight? A trio of scarf-printed dresses with bridle motifs that had a loose, seventies sex appeal. They stood apart from various looks that were, by turns, schoolgirl prim or a bit stuffy. When taken piece by piece, the collection's luxurious materials and, yes, precision, were beyond reproach. But after a few strong seasons with this team at Hilfiger—stylist Karl Templer and designer Peter Som—we had gotten used to having a little bit more fun.
11 February 2012
Tommy Hilfiger bounded out onto the runway after his military-themed show, called Cadet Academy, to the strains of the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." It was a funny little wink and nod to some other civilians using a soldier's uniform as a fashion statement.But on the runway, the proceedings had none of that colorful, goofy levity. The collection meant business. That started with a big-budget set that re-created the ivy-streaked brick façade of a nameless West Point alternative along with a manicured courtyard-cum-park complete with little trees, all inside the Park Avenue Armory. And when it came to the clothes, it was for the most part an exceedingly tidy and serious look that cycled through highly luxed-up versions of an imagined would-be officer's wardrobe. Coats—both pea and officer's—and motorcycle jackets came in lush bonded leathers and shearlings. Suiting had a neat snap in combinations of navy and burgundy, sometimes with the addition of quilted leather sleeves or silver braided trim.You could almost believe that these male models were operating under the threat of being chewed out by their sergeant if one thin pant cuff didn't fall exactly at mid-ankle. The show notes promised "a personalized take on military precision." The collection certainly delivered on that last bit. By the show's end, a hint of rock 'n' roll—a Hilfiger obsession—finally emerged, though a touch more rebellion wouldn't have been a bad idea.Still, Hilfiger and consulting designer Simon Spurr are right on the fashion mark, marching in lockstep with the military direction of last month's European collections. And think, just a year ago, this high-production extravaganza was an intimate presentation at a downtown restaurant. Onward and upward.
9 February 2012
Tommy Hilfiger may need a new word. He called this collection Pop Prep, but as Hilfiger deepens his fashion foothold with help from stylist Karl Templer—listed here as creative consultant/stylist—and designer Peter Som, his collection gets further and further from the vanilla, been-there-worn-it connotation of the Prep word.The Pop here, meanwhile, meant color. It began with a glen plaid recast in tangerine and turquoise, adorable in a boxy hoodie, and went kaleidoscopic with great multicolored cable knits, one of a few echoes from Hilfiger's men's collection shown earlier this week. It might not be your cup of tea, but you have to smile at—or at least pay attention to—the off and unexpected combination in something like a forest green, purple, and orange striped rugby shirt with contrast sleeves and a periwinkle leather skirt.The show notes cited sixties shapes, and there were a lot of clean, stand-away silhouettes. But those stiff bonded cottons and leathers are materials quite a few designers have been using of late, and so escaped retro-dom. The precisely cut and luxurious-looking leather shirtdresses and skirtsuits in particular were bang on trend.Another carryover from men's was an abstract camouflage. Since last season, Hilfiger's runway has become a space for pieces with immediate appeal, but this print lacked that energy.For evening, the designer leapt a decade to the seventies with color-blocked Halston-esque caftans and jumpsuits, the kind of thing you might see a Courtins-Clarins sister or cousin—all four were front-row—wearing next season.
10 September 2011
The catchall name of this collection, Modern Prep, is one you've no doubt heard before from Tommy Hilfiger. It's essentially his raison d'être. But this particular interpretation of it, likely conceived with great input from consulting designer Simon Spurr and stylist Karl Templer, pushed a more pointed fashion agenda than Hilfiger's ever done. Though the collection cycled through various motifs of Americana—from camouflage to varsity jackets and chinos to seersucker and sailor stripes—there was something distinctly European in its stance. You saw it in the savvy slimmed silhouettes, the knit polos, the handheld bags, the avant-garde look of sailor stripes splashed onto pant legs. Maine and Main Street via Milan (and a bit by way of Tokyo).The irony, as one men's editor pointed out after the show, is that preppiness served straight-up is what's being fetishized these days outside the good old U.S. of A. Witness the success of Hilfiger's own Prep World pop-up, which toured through Europe this summer. There's a risk that if preppiness gets too sophisticated, something might get lost in translation.Nevertheless, Hilfiger clearly wants to up his fashion ante, and in that respect, this collection had meat—and certainly gave everyone a little something to chew on.
8 September 2011
"We always want to be preppy," Tommy Hilfiger said on the phone yesterday. "But we always want to make preppy fresh." To do so, Hilfiger invoked the raucously stylish spirit of the rock star's girlfriend of yore, women like Britt Ekland and Anita Pallenberg.Though neither reference (prep-dom or the chic groupie) is a departure for Hilfiger, tonight's show felt luxurious and sophisticated in a new way. Beyond the mere use of expensive raw materials, like shearling, leather, and fisherman's knits, there was real depth of design and detail. That shearling was cleverly printed with tweed and tartan patterns that echoed all the menswear suiting in the line. That leather came in a beautiful burgundy and was cut into a skirt inset with navy piping, and paired with a boatneck cashmere sweatshirt. And that fisherman's knit was beaded in a couple of looks (worn with great ponyskin wrap skirts) and cleverly crafted into a cape with leather buckles in a few others.Walking down a runway of patchworked kilims with great brass chandeliers hanging above, these floppy-hatted girls with their long, center-parted hair looked jet-set, natty, and at times, unbelievably cool. It made you think back to earlier shows in the current incarnation of his label, which felt clinical by comparison. Whereas once Hilfiger defined sophistication as excising everything until clothes became, well, boring, this had real meat.Between the well-received men's collection he put together with Simon Spurr earlier this week and today's collaboration with Peter Som (their third), Hilfiger seems to have a winning formula on his hands.
12 February 2011
Preppy style as we know it in its modern form is ambling—maybe we should say vacationing—into its third decade. Time, says Tommy Hilfiger, one of its original codifiers, for a little update. So while Tommy recently created a new collection, Prep World, to keep the spirit alive and export it worldwide, his namesake line is trying something new. "We're calling it indie prep—indie rock meets preppy," he explained at an intimate presentation at the Lion today. "The classic silhouettes become a bit slimmer; it's chicer, with very interesting, new, fresh detail.""Fresh detail" is a promise often made and seldom honored, but the collection did have a welcome snap to it. The traditional navy and red became Air Force blue and burgundy, which recurred throughout. The suit was cast off in favor of separates, worn in concert and in conflict—like a black-grosgrain-trimmed navy tux jacket worn with (gasp) burgundy-piped pinstripe pants. The dress pant was a skinny wool flannel cargo. And the chunky hand-knit turtlenecks came color-blocked.Partial credit goes to Simon Spurr, the English menswear designer who's now consulting on the line. While in his own collection he tends toward Euro suave, the chance to let his hair down seems to have done him good. There was a brisk, poppy elegance on display that feels like a true meeting of the minds. It's a little late in the day to be shocked by prep, but for the first time in a while, it felt attention needed to be paid.
10 February 2011
Earlier today, I spotted two oft-photographed young fashion editors wearing the high-heeled duck boots that Tommy Hilfiger showed for Fall. A minor anecdotal incident? Perhaps. But for a man who has the masses sewn up, a glittery little chunk of fashion cred has to be gratifying—especially in the year his business turns 25.The new life in last season's collection was evidently the result of bringing in designer Peter Som to splash a bucketful of his uptown-eccentric sensibility over Hilfiger's rotating library of classics. The partnership continued on the Spring catwalk, where the new contender for coveted shoe is a leather Top-Sider raised onto a blocky platform heel. The theme, in case you hadn't guessed yet: Twisted Country Club. At this madcap Maidstone, a girl can wear her khakis as a backless halter dress, and no one frowns on a flippy tennis skirt in Pepto pink silk.Meanwhile, her rocker-wannabe boyfriend isn't afraid to express himself by the color of his socks, which will inevitably be visible between the hem of his rolled-up chinos or skinny pegged trousers and the top of his (possibly leopard) loafers. He can take a bright hue in bigger doses, too. You say powder pink double-breasted blazer, he says canary and magenta madras trousers.It was a peppy, preppy vision that, at times, neared the far boundaries of Hilfiger's codes. Yet it never spilled into something that felt untrue to his spirit. Before the show, a disembodied voice announced crowd-control directions for Hilfiger's very lavish post-show party in celebration of his 25th anniversary. Then came the promise that this was the first collection of the next 25. Not a bad start at that.
11 September 2010
Earlier today, I spotted two oft-photographed young fashion editors wearing the high-heeled duck boots that Tommy Hilfiger showed for Fall. A minor anecdotal incident? Perhaps. But for a man who has the masses sewn up, a glittery little chunk of fashion cred has to be gratifying—especially in the year his business turns 25.The new life in last season's collection was evidently the result of bringing in designer Peter Som to splash a bucketful of his uptown-eccentric sensibility over Hilfiger's rotating library of classics. The partnership continued on the Spring catwalk, where the new contender for coveted shoe is a leather Top-Sider raised onto a blocky platform heel. The theme, in case you hadn't guessed yet: Twisted Country Club. At this madcap Maidstone, a girl can wear her khakis as a backless halter dress, and no one frowns on a flippy tennis skirt in Pepto pink silk.Meanwhile, her rocker-wannabe boyfriend isn't afraid to express himself by the color of his socks, which will inevitably be visible between the hem of his rolled-up chinos or skinny pegged trousers and the top of his (possibly leopard) loafers. He can take a bright hue in bigger doses, too. You say powder pink double-breasted blazer, he says canary and magenta madras trousers.It was a peppy, preppy vision that, at times, neared the far boundaries of Hilfiger's codes. Yet it never spilled into something that felt untrue to his spirit. Before the show, a disembodied voice announced crowd-control directions for Hilfiger's very lavish post-show party in celebration of his 25th anniversary. Then came the promise that this was the first collection of the next 25. Not a bad start at that.
11 September 2010
Tommy Hilfiger closed out not only the New York week but also an era in the tents at Bryant Park, a site that has seen him through a couple of incarnations. This Fall collection showed his latest evolution: the first time designer Peter Som is consulting on the line. Som's involvement is surrounded by a bit of intrigue. On the one hand, he wasn't out front and available for interviews; but on the other, the company isn't hiding the news, and they presumably must have a reason for making public a tidbit of information that could easily be kept under wraps or at least readily denied. Whatever the case, this was one of Hilfiger's liveliest and strongest offerings in a few seasons.Named Preppy With a Pop, the collection channeled a girl the show notes described as a young Katharine Hepburn, someone combining an East Coast pedigree with a touch of sass. It takes sass to wear your camel shawl-collared cardie over a skirt made of gray leather paillettes, or to pull on a pair of OTK duck boots. The collection ably ticked off Hilfiger's checklist of classics (the peacoat, the trench, the pencil skirt), but now they had a youthful little twist. Something entirely new? No, but a welcome and necessary refresh.As Hilfiger explained before the show, the future of this partnership is uncertain. We'll take the present for now.
17 February 2010
Style.com did not review the Fall 2010 menswear collections. Please enjoy the photos, and stay tuned for our complete coverage of the Spring 2011 collections, including reviews of each show by Tim Blanks.
17 February 2010
Just two hours before a crowd swarmed Bryant Park in anticipation of Tommy Hilfiger's Spring show, you could see a similar crush outside his new Fifth Avenue flagship. And inside the massive 22,000-square-foot space, partygoers packed every one of its four floors and lined the winding, sculptural white staircase. In the midst of it stood Hilfiger, happily receiving a stream of friends, celebs, and industry VIPs. "It's a pinnacle," he said of the opening. "A dream come true—one that I've had for 25 years." The designer pointed out that his peers had all set up shop an avenue eastward. "Donna, Ralph, Calvin, Oscar, Michael? They're all on Madison," he added. Interesting. Well, certainly Hilfiger is American enough to raise the flag solo on Fifth. And a short while later he proved it in chic spades with an energetic and fresh-scrubbed collection, named Beachside Romp, that was meant to evoke a SoCal boardwalk but could indeed play anywhere. There was lots of smart tailoring in a nautical palette of navy and white with gold buttons. Classic, yes, but also refined and not without the occasional twist in the form of big gold grommets on a trenchdress, or the khaki jodhpurs and desert boot-sandals that a fashion girl might adore. That crispness was set off by what Hilfiger called a "relaxed glamour"—quite lovely in the fluid tonal look that opened the show, and also in a lipstick-red jersey gown. Perhaps too relaxed, however, were the very short, strapless silk dresses that were corseted but had the look of a post-shower towel. They certainly felt beachside, though perhaps not in the way intended.
16 September 2009
Tommy Hilfiger traded Avery Fisher Hall for Bryant Park this season, but his heart belongs one block further east. He christened his Fall collection "Quintessentially Fifth Avenue" in honor of the massive 22,000-square-foot universe-of-Tommy flagship he's slated to open at 681 Fifth come late August. These days, of course, that stretch of town sees all kinds of looks. Hilfiger, however, isn't interested in the reality of what pounds the pavement, but rather the ideal of what should and occasionally does.That's not to say that this collection didn't present a realistic vision. Hilfiger now treats the sartorial icons he once fetishized nearly to the point of camp with a far lighter hand. It may not be rocket science, but there's a smart sophistication in a camel peacoat over faded jeans and brown leather boots (the latter blessedly free of a platform). A navy jersey dress with a buttoned-on apron front twisted a familiar motif. And a look of high-waisted silk pants with a draped sweater hinted at a more fashionable sensibility.The Fall mantra was "aspirational, yet attainable," and these clothes (many of which will retail for below $400) are very much that—a polished, practical wardrobe for the young career set. Well, mostly, since Hilfiger did catch the neon bug that's been zipping around New York. Electric pink on Fifth? Hmm. Well, downtown is just a Metrocard swipe away.
18 February 2009
Witnessing the posh scene at Tommy Hilfiger—showgoers filing into the grand and airy environs of Avery Fisher Hall after draining glasses of Champagne—it seemed almost unfathomable that this is the same designer who once packed the tent at Bryant Park to the gills because N.E.R.D. was performing. Spring is the fourth season since Hilfiger relaunched his label with a new grown-up bent, and today's collection moved even further in that direction, exhibiting a refinement in the designer's obsession with fashion iconography. Referencing the easy glamour of Angelica Huston in the eighties, the collection was clean, sporty, and elegant, with lots of billowy pale and navy silks. A multitude of trenchcoats, including one in silk gauze for evening, underlined a masculine thread. The look was finished with shiny gold headbands, mesh pumps, and tassel belts. A sartorial thrill ride? Not quite. But a drawstring jumpsuit and silk "sweatpant" were right on trend. And in fact, we could see one of Hilfiger's front-row girls like Diane Kruger or Charlotte Ronson putting her own spin on a perfectly lovely lemon-chiffon frock or a black cloque tunic and skirt. The mature vision might seem strange for someone formerly obsessed with youth culture, but with developments like a Fifth Avenue flagship in the works, Hilfiger seems to be settling nicely into the new space he's carved out for himself.
10 September 2008
"We've elevated all our fabrics, and I wanted people to be able to touch and feel the clothes up close," Tommy Hilfiger said when asked why he chose a presentation over a proper runway show for his fall collection. And the fabricswereluxurious. A safari jacket was made from a brushed flannel that could have easily been mistaken for camel hair, while a twill black trench with leather accents brought new levels of conspicuous consumption to the line. "I'm always interested in nautical preppy and the international sophisticate," the designer added, and it's hard to imagine a Hilfiger collection without the former archetype in full effect. His "sophisticate," meanwhile, was represented in the noticeably more continental cuts. (What else is Tommy interested in? Bow ties and cardigans, apparently: Each of the 23 looks featured one and/or the other.) Elsewhere, Hilfiger offered a primary-color palette (gray suiting punched up with a yellow scarf, say) and plays on pattern. A wide-striped duffel coat over a narrow-striped knit in the same shades of navy and gray made a statement, while tartan pants with a tux jacket and a diagonal-striped bow tie showed a sort of proud dandyism. And the overkill inherent in a vertical-striped cardigan paired with matching tartan pants was entirely intentional. Said Hilfiger's stylist for the collection, Jeff Mahshie: "We were the originals for mismatching, so it's almost bolder in a way to match these days."
5 March 2008
"It feels iconic," said Tommy Hilfiger of showing at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Then he flashed a grin at the mention of his recent pop-culture tome celebrating Americana—a subject fetishized in every collection he's ever designed. Once upon a time that meant hoodies and jeans. Now, in the third season since the brand was remade, it means real—as in self-consciously grown-up—clothes. For Fall, Hilfiger made the sixties- and seventies-era photographs of Sam Haskins his guiding light for their "pure, clean, and understated look." Those references were evident very literally on the runway. Princess coats, sheath dresses, and tunic tops over wide trousers recalled the boomer years a bit too readily and, red-white-and-blue palette notwithstanding, were bloodlessly executed. There were moments of sexiness: for example, a body-hugging knit dress and a mixed-pattern ensemble of a plaid bow blouse and polka-dot skirt that had a frisson of youthful energy. But on the whole, this seemed to be a collection skewed to a much older customer than this label used to aim for. It would be too bad if, in the process of luxe-ing up his line, Hilfiger took all the fun out of his fashion game.
6 February 2008
Welcome to Chapter Two in what Hilfiger has called a "rebirth": his return to the runway with a more polished take on traditional American sportswear. "It's a continuous evolution," Hilfiger said backstage. "Everything we put into motion last season is starting to bear fruit." Customers are embracing the more sophisticated merch, he added, and a new store is to open later this month on the red-hot retail stretch of Bleecker Street.No surprise, Spring was about classic, alliterative Tommy-isms: "carefree confidence" and "effortless elegance." This meant some very familiar staples, including the trench, the brass-buttoned blazer, the shirtdress—the mood was F. Scott Fitzgerald, with a pinch of Lauren Hutton tossed in. A double-breasted navy jacket in coarse gabardine was worn over a pair of striped silk pajamas (kicking off a bonanza of stripes, both candy-colored and nautical). Silk blouses went with sailor pants, wide trousers, or cuffed shorts. And then came a few dress variations: fine knit intarsia shifts, a trench-detailed sheath, a flirty pink-and-white halter. Laced spectator sandals and straw hats underlined theGatsbyfeel. Looking newer was a sharp-shouldered striped blazer that brought some Keith Richards edge to a white jersey dress. A few more items like that are needed next time to keep this evolution moving forward.
11 September 2007
The ceiling of massed lightbulbs was reflected in a polished white floor that cried out for a Fred and Ginger routine. The blast of big-band music with which Tommy Hilfiger's presentation opened promised the very same. But prior scrutiny of the accompanying show notes would have informed guests that what Hilfiger had in mind wasn't Astaire, but a hybrid of a fifties American ad man and an English schoolboy. In other words, Thom Browne's challenging proposition has indeed made its presence felt in the corridors of fashion power. Cropped, fitted jackets and cropped, cuffed pants exposing several inches of sockless ankle had Thom's stamp—and it was driven home by the weighty wingtips. Still, Hilfiger tempered the radical Browne effect with his own patrician red, white, and blue, not to mention the shade of baby pink that is only sported by the kind of man who quaffs dirty martinis with Muffy and Buffy at the yacht club. That same guy would feel right at home in a marina-ready pinstriped navy jacket paired with white pants (after he'd had the sleeves and legs extended a little). And he'd maybe even fall for the seahorse-embroidered slacks, again in baby pink. Hilfiger's vision of a leisured WASP life also extended to a pajama suit in peach, while at other moments, the model appeared to have dragged his strictly tailored jacket over his bed attire.
11 September 2007
The last time Tommy Hilfiger showed on the runway, a year and a half ago, it was a party—the company's 20th birthday party, to be exact—with scads of celebrities, a movie, and a 100-look collection jammed with his greatest hits. But after a two-season break, Hilfiger has gotten serious. The Fall show featured a glossy black runway with a melancholy backdrop: the negative image of a redwood forest. There was a light smattering of celebs, but the front row lacked the zoo ambience of shows past. "It's a rebirth, a new chapter in my life," Hilfiger said backstage.To the bittersweet harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel'sSounds of Silence, out came fresh-scrubbed sixties schoolgirls in toggle coats, tweed pinafores, and tartan trapeze dresses, all worn with knit tights. The sober New-England-in-winter color scheme was freshened up with flashes of primary color, to chic effect: a navy coat over a lemon-yellow dress and red shoes. Wool coat-dresses had an innocent, Katharine Ross elegance. Hilfiger has often mined an era or subculture for his ideas, but this effort captured the optimism of that decade without caricature. The clothes had a certain quiet refinement—all part of a well-considered repositioning of the brand. Asked whether this runway show will be followed by another, Hilfiger answered, "Absolutely. It's good to be back."
8 February 2007
The backdrop of a redwood forest—there was mist in the "treetops"—soared to the ceiling of the Hammerstein Ballroom. The setting evoked a pure American spirit; at a stretch, you might say it was kinda like the way that Tommy Hilfiger once embodied red, white, and true-blue American sportswear for the rest of the world. But, as his recently opened Paris boutique shows, Hilfiger now means something altogether different, and his collection reflected that new perception. If the backdrop was primal, the clothes were anything but. They'd been shorn of the street and the rock show. Trimly tailored plaids were now the foundation, in everything from a black watch peacoat to a glen plaid tux. The look was collar-and-tie dressy: tartan shirt, tie in another tartan, plaid suit over all. Hilfiger also indulged his affection for menswear tradition with houndstooth coats, velvet suits, and pinstriped gray flannels. But these functioned as relatively restrained accents among the symphony of cross-hatching that defined the collection. The show notes invoked "classic American cool," but what the clothes really embodied was the internationalism of Hilfiger's style now.
8 February 2007
Tommy Hilfiger pulled out all the stops for his 20th-anniversary show. After the year he's had, during which he successfully weathered tax probes, sale rumors, and his own reality show, there was just as much reason to celebrate 12 months of survival as two decades of achievement. Either way, the prevailing air of triumphalism, culminating in a blast of "We Are the Champions," was at odds with the breeziness of the clothes themselves.It came as no surprise that Hilfiger stayed true to the red, white, and blue preppy spirit on which he founded his empire, but it was a shame that this career overview sidestepped the urban styles that made him for a time the incongruous king of hip-hop fashion. A little street would have added some spice to the parade of smiley young Americans—all 100 of them.As it was, Hilfiger's audience added the edge—Paris Hilton was on one side of the catwalk, and Lou Reed on the other made some kind of statement about the designer's cross-cultural and cross-generational appeal. The building blocks of the collection were multi-plaid patchwork and khaki (clearly the new denim for this designer), both shown every which way, from suits to shorts. Preppy pink was another leitmotif (one double-whammy look had it as the lining of a khaki blazer).Hilfiger took his bow to the strains of "It's Only Rock & Roll," by his beloved Stones. But, if anything, the garish rock-star sparkle of beads on the lapel of a navy-blue frock coat (or as an anchor motif on another blazer) suggested that the subtlety of seersucker and chambray should shape his next 20 years.
8 September 2005
Tommy Hilfiger has been in business 20 long years, and he spared no extravagance last night to celebrate the milestone anniversary. As the lights dimmed on a star-studded front row that included Lou Reed, Paris Hilton, Jason Lewis, and Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas, who was scheduled to perform at the after-party, a movie of the designer's career highlights began rolling on the runway's enormous screen. Clips from his myriad rock concerts, fashion shows, countless celebrity photo ops, and reality TV hitThe Cutwhizzed past to a soundtrack by David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz, and Hilfiger's old pal, Mr. Jagger.Next came the models: exactly 100 of them, in tried-and-true preppy staples like seersucker suits, madras bermudas, rugby sweaters, and tan "I spent the summer at the beach" bare feet. In a tongue-in-cheek nod to his early days as a hip-hop clothier, boxers peeked over the waistbands of low-slung khakis and Nantucket-red pants, but everything else—tennis-racket-print shirtdress, anyone?—looked pulled from a Kennedy's closet. A huge beaded anchor splayed across a flaring skirt took the all-American and nautical themes at least a league too far, but Hilfiger made no apologies. As he came out for an enthusiastic bow, he sang along to the Rolling Stones hit "Only Rock 'n' Roll": "I like it, I like it."
8 September 2005
It's raucous, it's rowdy, it's rock 'n' roll—it must be Tommy Hilfiger. If the designer's ability to bridge multiple worlds was ever in doubt, the front row at his spring show put that to rest. Jade Jagger on one end, Denise Richards on the other, and in between them, Mischa Barton, Janet Jackson, the Black Eyed Peas, and P. Diddy (with entourage). Now there's a cross section of modern pop culture.Hilfiger managed to please them all with a breezy, confident collection. Inspired by a summertime sailing trip, Hilfiger focused on all things seaside. He started with a cozy, ankle-length dress done in classic sailor stripes, worn by the undulating Naomi Campbell. There were tweaked classics, like a white cotton pea coat, a rainbow-hued schoolboy's jacket, and ivory sateen sailor pants. But Hilfiger throws a rocker edge in when he can, and that showed up in a bright-orange mini leather jacket worn over a tiny bikini, and a saucy pair of gold Lurex shorts with a sheer white shirt. And even the most determined landlubber would be charmed by the cool ivory gown that closed the show.
8 September 2004
If Tommy Hilfiger's ability to bridge multiple worlds was ever in doubt, the front row at his spring show put that to rest. Jade Jagger on one end, Denise Richards on the other, and in between them, Mischa Barton, Janet Jackson, the Black Eyed Peas, and P. Diddy (with entourage). Now there's a cross section of modern pop culture.Once the paparazzi hubbub died down, Hilfiger sent out a crowd-pleasing collection inspired by a summertime sailing trip and all things nautical. Think tailored suits with striped sweaters and ascots, and anchor motifs and seersuckers, all worn with mandals. The preppies will go for the blazers in pink and green, while theplayazwill gravitate to the printed silk shirts. Wherever you fit in the pop firmament, Tommy's got you covered.
8 September 2004
“It’s about color,” Tommy Hilfiger said a few days before his Spring 2004 show. “Color and fun.” He might have added “ease,” too, because there wasn’t a stiff fabric or a tricky cut in his cheerful, carefree collection.The show did have a few anxious moments: There was a rock star–worthy crush at the door due to the presence of Pharrell Williams, who performed the runway music. But once the beat kicked in and the clothes streamed out, the tension evaporated. Who could be stressed by a pair of light-as-air drawstring pants worn with a tummy-grazing silk pique tee, or a clean white taffeta dress with brisk orange grosgrain ribbon? Hilfiger has made his name—and considerable fortune—by dusting off preppy classics, and he repeated the trick tonight via hot hues like apple green, neon pink, orange, and blue, all played off white basics. He loosened up the silhouette, too, with full-leg jeans, billowy sheer hoodies, and silky pleated skirts.While most of the styles were daytime-specific, the designer didn’t completely neglect the nightlife. A fluttery pink gown, or a hot-pink chiffon dress, its bodice wrapped in multicolored ribbon, kept the mood upbeat right to the end.
17 September 2003
A fan of all things British, Tommy Hilfiger has a particular soft spot for the mod era's crisp lines, powerful graphics and great music. That means the current trend for early-’60s fashion plays to his strengths, and the result was a smart, appealing fall collection.As the Kinks, the Who and the Beatles played at earsplitting volume, Hilfiger sent out short, white A-line dresses made from space-age materials like neoprene and Teflon, worn with Courreges-inspired flat silver boots and boxy short jackets or mink hoodies. He cut pants tight and seamed, in the style of vintage skiwear, and topped his looks with silvery oversize anoraks, white motorcycle jackets and funnel-neck short coats. Hilfiger also worked plenty of shiny patent leather into the collection, as an accent or in great pieces such as a slick leather car coat and skinny white pants. With two exceptions—a bold red coat and skirt shown at the end—the palette stayed white, black or navy. Hilfiger clearly knows not only the era, but also just how his customer wants it interpreted.
11 February 2003
Everybody needs a vacation, even if it's only a mental break. For his spring collection, Tommy Hilfiger packed a bag for Mustique (where he actually does own a home) and showed just how easily sportswear can travel.Setting his sights on the twin goals of glamour and practicality, Hilfiger built his women's collection largely on silky charmeuse cargo pants and skirts in neutral tones like navy, ivory and olive. He paired those with lacy tank tops (for an afternoon of shopping) or halters and bustiers that added a bit moreoomph(for the mai tai hour). There were flirty, swingy tiered skirts that cried out to be worn over the crochet bikinis or with a simple cotton polo, and crisp, cropped seersucker jackets guaranteed to ward off cool island breezes—even if your island is Manhattan.Of course, no vacation is complete without some serious beach time, and Hilfiger came prepared for that, too. While the bashful might opt for a shell-printed pareu to wear over the skimpy bikinis, those looking for some attention on the lido would do well to mimic Naomi Campbell. Her undulating stroll down the runway in a navy jacket and silk bikini bottoms turned even the jaded photographers into wolf-whistling boys.
17 September 2002
"High-octane Ivy League" is how Tommy Hilfiger described his coed collegiate collection, which revolved around sporty, All-American preppy looks. Houndstooth and Donegal tweed suits were worn with light turtleneck sweaters; A-line skirts were finely tailored, light and feminine. Scottish tartans in green, navy, red and white dominated the runway, showing up in the lining of classic coats, on easy-fitting pants and shirts (often made up of mismatched panels) and even on a handcrafted leather and suede skirt. Shrunken jackets in metallic leather, calf-hair dresses and suede pants covered with leather appliqués that created a tiger print added a fun and whimsical touch to the presentation.
5 February 2000
Tommy Hilfiger appropriated the current elements of decoration in fashion—beading, assorted prints, and embroidery—stripped them of all frilliness, and used them to rock the house at Madison Square Garden. Bush performed live as a parade of sexy modern-day cowboys and girls took to the runway wearing multi colored eagle bustiers, crimson motorcycle jackets, and jeans with snakeskin appliques. Red, white, and blue was the patriotic, and predominant, color scheme, occasionally tempered by patchwork dresses and floral-printed western looks. Cowboy boots inspired by the American flag added the ideal footnote to Hilfiger's extravagant looks.
13 September 1999