Tom Ford Takes Over an Abandoned Subway Station, Gets Miley Cyrus and Russell Westbrook to Party

NEW YORK — With Tom Ford as the new CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, New York Fashion Week has veered toward large splashy runway shows in outdoor gardens and other exotic locales in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

But Tom Ford himself chose a different route.

He narrowed his guest list to only 180, causing some of  fashion faithful to wail in agony when their invitation got lost in the email, and found an abandoned subway station in the Bowery to showcase his spring 2020 collection.

Miley Cyrus, dressed in all-black Tom Ford from head-to-toe — velvet military coat, georgette blouse, silk trousers, velvet platforms with crystal details on the heel, and a faux fur hat — was among a handful of celebrities who made the descent into the bowels of the subway to find out what Ford had up his sleeve.

Also looking on from the front row was new Houston Rockets star (and fashion aficionado) Russell Westbrook, who dressed up for the occasion in a velvet jacket with wide lapels and white tuxedo shirt, both designed by Ford.

In program notes, Ford said he chose the location because he was inspired by a photograph of Andy Warhol and Edie Sedgwick coming out of a New York manhole cover in 1965. This and other disparate ideas, ranging from the classic French film Subway to slick nylon basketball shorts he won’t let his son wear and classic Yves Saint Laurent breastplates from 1969, inspired Ford to design an edgy collection that nixes red carpet looks in favor or upscale streetwear with an S&M vibe.

“I always cover my design wall in random things that come into my head having always believed that they are surfacing for a reason. Some look silly the next day but some stick in my mind. That is how I always finally arrive at my mood for the season,” Ford says.

“This season for me is about simplicity. Which is not to be confused with simple. I think that it is a time for ease, and in that way a return to the kind of luxurious sportswear that America has become known for all over the world.”

Amid the tailored blazers that are a Ford hallmark, the designer’s definition of simplicity includes relaxed tank tops paired with roomy satin skirts, bedazzled bras worn with flowing, loose-fitting pants and colorful below-the-knee basketball shorts. Jumpsuits and many of the pants have an elastic waist, offering comfort and ease of movement, which is more than can be said for the breastplates fashioned from glossy plastic for the fashionable dominatrix.

Compared to the women’s creations, Ford’s men’s looks are quite a bit tamer, ranging from old-style black leather motorcycle jackets to wildly colorful animal print tuxedo blazers.