On Sunday night Tom Ford provided what was perhaps the most naked demonstration of power I have ever seen in the fashion world.

It began with his decision to hold a tiny, hush-hush show for his debut women’s wear collection, complete with phone-only invites and a ban on photography, which then created a frenzy among editors desperate to be included in the inner circle; segued into a debate among said invitees about whether or not they should go to young designer Thakoon’s show, scheduled for 6 pm when Ford was scheduled for 6:30, and miss seeing Ford (streaming is a great justification for missing shows — designers might re-think its benefits); and culminated in a store show of about 32 super-luxury looks on 32 women like…actress Julianne Moore; painter Rachel Feinstein; singer Beyonce Knowles; wife of Tom Hanks Rita Wilson; ex-supermodel Amber Valletta; social muse Daphne Guinness, and so on. Read more