The Tom Ford Beauty Code—Glamorous and Sexy—Is Here to Stay

Some designers thrive by undergoing chameleonic shifts from one season to the next. Tom Ford, on the other hand, is hard-wired to seek out a certain polished swagger. Tonight at the Park Avenue Armory for the label's fall 2019 show, that played out as velvety smoky eyes and side-parted hair in a nonchalant bun. "It's Tom's kind of girl," the makeup artist Diane Kendal confirmed backstage, referring to the mood—glamorous, sexy—epitomized by high-wattage models like Gigi Hadid and Joan Smalls. "It's about the confident woman who enjoys dressing up, wearing gorgeous clothes, and showing off a bit."

What better way to catch people's attention than with a dye job that gleams like a shiny copper penny? Last fall, when the Italian model Mariacarla Boscono took her nearly black hair a daring shade of red, she bid farewell to a Snow White complexion and welcomed new opportunities—today's Tom Ford show included. (It's no surprise that the designer gravitated towards a powerhouse redhead, given the roles that Amy Adams and Julianne Moore have landed in his films.) For Boscono, who until this point has kept her fashion week duties relegated to Europe, it was a warm reunion; she hadn't walked for Ford since his days as creative director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. "He's so special," the model noted, "because he's such a perfectionist."

Those who watched Boscono sit attentively in Kendal's chair—both women repeatedly squinting in the mirror to make sure the smudgy Eye Kohl Intense and diffuse gray-scale eye shadow were exactly even—might grasp that Ford's muses also share his perfectionism. (Boscono even reached over the makeup table to curl her own lashes.) That sense of mannered control carried through to the hair. "It's very groomed, and it's strong," hairstylist Orlando Pita said, explaining that the slick side part lends "that little bit of toughness," offset by the unfussy chignon. That duality was reflected in the evening's blousy leather pants, and in the slinky black evening dress—accessorized with metal chains—that Boscono wore on the runway. It was a rare moment of black for the adopted redhead, who is now drawn to beige, white, and powdery colors. Fortunately, the collection's boxy pastel coats—spring in spirit, if winter in heft—paired with that romance-ready eye makeup are just the right prescription for the long days of New York Fashion Week ahead.