Tony Ward Celebrates 10 Years On the Haute Couture Runway
Grand shapes and elaborate detail describe the SS24 collection
Held at a Tony Ward usual Haute Couture Week spot, at Palais de Tokyo was the Lebanese designer’s spring-summer 2024 collection. When I think of Tony Ward, and what sets him apart from high fashion designers, it’s his use of architectural tones. The shapes, the lines, and the curves, are what makes his sartorial thumbprint most distinct, and yesterday was no different. In a packed room of celebrity onlookers and guests, all were whisked to a world this season’s theme: Golden Ratio.
Sitting front row were Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham, and Egyptian actress Amina Khalil. Heart Evangelista, Dima Kandalaft, Thássia Naves, and Gessica Kayane were also in attendance.
The idea that “we are made from the same proportions based on a timeless equation,” is the heart of Golden Ration, meaning that through shapes we find beauty in the chaotic things around us. To that end, Ward and his design team created geometrical patterns in embroidery, 3D shapes, volume, layers, and statement sleeves.
Taking the opening look as an example, the short dress is one of pure artwork. With lots of silver and crystal embellishing, it curves with the body as it hugs the body. Its place is in a magazine editorial, museum, or some comedic noir film premier red carpet. Ward may be the most underrated Lebanese designer yet. His work defies odds and he’s not mundane. Every season he seems to be challenging couture craftsmanship, seeking to be original and unique- and this is the hard part of fashion, coming up with new concepts and ideas each season. But somehow, he’s able to do it.
With this collection, his know-how shines in the flamboyancy of his sartorial storytelling. It’s palpable in the dancing beadwork, dramatic capes, asymmetry, high-slits, and riveting fabrics. The Tony Ward atelier labored for months and what seemed like unceasing hours to get the heart of Golden Ratio just right, they managed to achieve. As the proof is in the pudding, the proof of this collection is in the details.
