Tom Ford’s newest runway presentation featured male models walking the catwalk wearing barely-there thongs alongside expensive jackets and full suits. The combination drew instant criticism, with observers questioning why intimate wear should appear on a fashion runway at all.
From the Spring/Summer 2027 season, the collection brought together sharply tailored jackets and suits alongside silk, leather, cashmere, sheer fabrics, and extremely revealing pieces. Some models wore low-cut tops, fishnet, and thigh-grazing shorts, while others walked the runway in tiny underwear that left little to the imagination.
The Thongs That Drew Attention
A man walked down the runway in a pale pink thong covered by a brown crewneck sweater, holding a leather bag while a luxury vicuña coat hung beside him. Instead of concealing the thong under his clothes, creative director Haider Ackermann chose to make it part of the look.
Ackermann said he wanted to push the fashion house’s focus on seduction further and take more risks. “Seduction is the pillar on which this house is built. This time I felt like pushing it further, closer to danger,” he said.
Ackermann Explains the Push
He said he wanted to show a body while still leaving something concealed, a balance he described as his main goal. “There is something deeply sxual in the body that reveals itself without offering itself,” he wrote. He went on to say that sxuality can be understated rather than loud, and that freedom might mean taking chances.
The garments depended on their shape, bare skin, and strange proportions instead of patterns or embellishment. A review noted that the clothes carried a quiet confidence with an “undeniable s*xuality.”.
What the Models Wore
The collection included several revealing items beyond the thongs. Models wore:
- Neon pink underwear
- Tiny white shorts
- Plunging necklines
- Sheer bodysuits
- Daring cutout pieces
A second male model was dressed entirely in white, wearing a mesh vest, blazer, and shorts so short that they left his thighs exposed.
The Outrage Online
Ackermann appeared to see experimentation as part of fashion’s freedom. “I told the team I want to continue this conversation. Let’s have joy – and take more risks – it makes us feel good — and alive,” he said.
Quickly after Tom Ford posted his runway videos, viewers split into two camps over whether the small underwear he showed could truly count as fashion.
“This is not fashion; this is stupidity,” wrote one netizen.
One writer said “Is this fashion or madness?”, while another described the looks as “degrading”, adding that “Can’t feel the art, sorry.”. A third critic wrote, “Put on some clothes!”.
One person doubted whether the look would work anywhere except on a runway, wondering, “Could I wear this to a baseball game or Wedding or a Funeral?”
The Double Standard Argument
A number of viewers argued that society had already grown used to women’s fashion featuring exposed skin and thongs, which meant that men dressing in similarly revealing ways ought not to come as a surprise.
One person wrote, “Women have to do this for ages. Now a man and everyone is hysterical.” Another said they did not particularly like the looks but believed it was fair to normalize them if revealing styles had already been normalized for women.
Fashion’s power to provoke remains intact, as the show itself demonstrates. The argument goes on, but the evidence is clear: style has not lost its ability to stir strong feelings.
See the video the story is built around at Bored Panda.
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