Milan Fashion Week fall/winter 2019: 5 lessons we learned from Tod’s fall/winter 2019 collection

On 22 February, Tod’s presented its fall/winter 2019 collection to us, and the world. Below, its five biggest takeaways about fashion, leather, and the art of class.

1. Being fashionably late is not fabulous.
We streamed into the Tod’s HQ at Via Palestro bright and early, as we always do for the first shows of the day. Others took a more relaxed approach. The invitation read 9.30am, which, by fashion week standards, meant you could stroll in at 9.45am and not be considered late. Not at Tod’s, because nothing is as classic as the Italian house; just as nothing is as classic as good manners. And good manners is being on time — a trend most fashion folk are happy to deem passé. Ten minutes past start time, Tod’s flashed its flights. Time waits for no man. After all, the chicest lot in Milan are still mortal. Flash. Flash. Cue music to hasten feet. Flash. By the time lights dimmed, several members of the press zooming by almost hit the seated Olivia Palermo and Johannes Huebl in the face, briefly sharing the runway with the first model.

2. Leather can be playful.
More precisely, the application of leather in fall/winter — typically a solemn affair — can be playful. Tod’s demonstrated its newfound wisdom in several ways. First, by tossing out the rule book about colour-blocking. Tan and black leather came together in restrained elegance, either by tailoring (that buttery skirt from look #12 got us drooling) or by styling (look #14 features a drop-shoulder pea coat over a shirt dress with a Peter Pan collar.) Both pulsed with texture; the former was surprise-accessorised with a chunky silver chain, the latter spotlighted a new lamb shearling bag. 

3. Season-less dressing is in.
Clues: Tod’s leather Bermuda shorts, palm tree patterns woven on the oversized wool sweaters and the silk tees peeking out of leather tops. Tod’s is welcome to our part of Asia anytime.

4. Everything should be belted.
And belted thoughtfully. Some ideas we gathered from Tod’s fall/winter 2019 presentation include belting not the collective look, just the sweater underneath the outerwear. Never mind that it has a busy print, cinch that noise with a skinny band anyway — itself with leopard-calf mix motif. We’re referencing look #13. That’s not to say shearling and trench coats should be left to flop about in the wind. Tone-on-tone belting was masterfully exercised in look #26 while a fabric belt created an essential waist on an otherwise boyish parka in look #6. Double looping is back too. Check out look #9.

5. Wallet necklaces are omnipresent.
We were just shopping for one at Prada and helping another editor decide if the Intrecciato version at Bottega Veneta is worth the hunger pangs (in Italy, that torture doubles). Adding Tod’s fall/winter 2019 debut from look #15 to the lust list. On that note, we spot a new bucket shape on the runway, highlighted with a studded fastening and base. We best be saving all our coins at this point.