Entering Tod’s staple show venue, the PAC museum of contemporary art, images of Kendall Jenner spending some leisure time with a puppy — a campaign with the “puppy love” tag line — and the group of young twentysomethings including Pyper America and Renee Stewart sitting front row, it was obvious that chief executive officer Diego Della Valle is eyeing a younger customer and working on rejuvenating his brand. To wit, Gigi and Bella Hadid opened the show — the eldest carrying a puppy in one arm and an oversize leather tote in the other hand. Ah, leather, that ubiquitous material at Tod’s, one that the company has worked and treated to perfection over the years. Gigi Hadid wore black leather pants under an oversize patchwork shearling bomber in a fun color palette mixing rust, yellow and black, followed by her sister donning a patent leather pencil skirt under a short shearling jacket with leather piping and a sort of tool belt, which Tod’s calls the Capsule Belt, that does away with the need for a lipstick-bag, a mini wallet-bag and a phone-bag in bright orange.
The key footwear look was a soft suede boot with a crepe sole in a palette of delightful fall colors, from rust to burgundy. Another example of Tod’s younger inspiration was a taupe, hooded and zipped suede top worn over pants in the same hide and an orange shirt in a technical material peeping under a yellow Windbreaker. The design team is steering the collection in the right direction as the lineup felt fresh and sophisticated, yet also practical. Della Valle is working on a new business strategy to drop capsules throughout the year, but this season was a solid one.