FASHION Magazine

We don’t have to tell you that Tom Ford has special powers in the world of fashion, and that everything he’s touched—since making his name at Gucci in the mid-nineties to starting his own eponymous line a few years back—has turned to literal and figurative gold. For the past four seasons he has done a semi-private runway show during fashion week, invitation going to select press only, making his adoring fans wait at least two months to see the coveted wears. His collections usually garner great reviews, but for Spring 2012, and the first time probably ever, his grand plan might not have gone as well as planned.

Today, Vogue.com released photos of the collection, but based on reviews from editors and critics back in September, it already had a tainted reputation to contend with. Criticisms of the line were that the clothes drew too much on what Ford, and other designers, had already shown, but Vogue argues that these criticisms can be quieted on seeing the collection up close: “most revealing in this exclusive, first close-up look at Tom Ford’s new collection is the detail lost to the original viewers who saw the clothes momentarily swish by in the runway presentation.”