A couple of seasons ago, Tod’s creative director Matteo Tamburini staged a quiet rebuke against the advent of artificial intelligence in the creative industry. He dubbed it “artisanal intelligence”—a clever term for Tod’s enduring belief that true creativity will always come from human hands and minds. It was a prescient stance. Two years later, the artificial and the automated are creeping into every aspect of our lives—but Tod’s is standing firm.
This season’s artisanal intelligence expressed itself in a sporty, slightly masculine take on the house’s classic style codes. Tamburini’s prevailing style inspirations lay in 1990s minimalism, from Christy Turlington and Uma Thurman to Princess Diana. The collection’s masculine elements came through silhouette and styling: boxy culottes paired with baggy sweaters and button-downs, duster jackets slung over slightly rumpled shirts. Everything was worn oversized with an air of insouciance, as if uninterested in pandering to the male gaze.
Even the more fluid, feminine looks—pantsless outfits, tiny bandeau tops, handkerchief mini-dresses—channelled more androgynous elegance than overt sensuality. There was a Bauhaus practicality to the collection, with few extra bells or whistles in sight. Even when the palette ventured into bright brick reds or egg yolk yellows, it was either monochromatic or in punchy, minimalist stripes of colour-blocking. There has always been an unhurried (and distinctly Italian) elegance to the Tod’s woman, but this season, you sense she is on the go—and her clothes have sensibly decided to stay out of the way.
All throughout, classic Tod’s motifs abounded. The Gommino loafer appeared in its original form, paired with long socks, and also transformed—in perforated skirts, coats, and sweaters nodding to its pebbled soles. Tod’s mastery of leather is also at the heart of their offerings, and it is most impressive when they let it speak for itself—in the soft drape of a buttery leather skirt, or in the impeccable craftsmanship of a classic trench coat.
It was a classically Tod’s collection, proving that there is power in sticking to the brief. Artisanal intelligence might be a direct counterpoint to the rise of AI, but at Tod’s, it rarely feels provocative. Instead, it is rooted in a quiet adherence to the principles that built the house: Italian craftsmanship, material excellence, and an instinctive commitment to beauty and style.
Below, see the highlights from Tod’s Spring/Summer 2027.
This article originally appeared on Grazia Singapore.
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