A prom king returns: Tommy Hilfiger reclaims his preppy American crown
For Spring/Summer 2027, Tommy Hilfiger returned to New York Fashion Week with a youthful reassertion of the American prep that made his name. Anders Christian Madsen reviews the show.
If this Tommy Hilfiger show represented a return to the fashion week schedule, it was also a homecoming of sorts. “I lived here for over a decade,” the designer said during a preview on Thursday morning. He wasn’t simply referring to New York, but to his show venue: The Plaza, where he took up residence for a decade before moving to Palm Beach. “It feels like home, and I wanted to invite people into my former home.” You could call his show a tour of the house: a time-travelling trip through the Tommy Hilfiger archives, with souvenirs brought back for contemporary appropriation.
“We went back to the archives and looked at the most important pieces from the late ‘80s and ‘90s. We set out to remix them through proportion, fit, colour, fabric, detail and the way we’re styling them. I think you’ll see a fresh approach to the look that people refer to as ‘preppy,’” Hilfiger explained. “We wanted to push the envelope.” Presented in The Plaza’s bar and ballroom on a stellar cast of characters including Gigi Hadid, Romeo Beckham and Bobby Brazier, his neo-prep uniform unfolded in prim schoolgirl/schoolboy silhouettes with lashings of Tommy red.
We went back to the archives and looked at the most important pieces from the late ‘80s and ‘90s. We set out to remix them through proportion, fit, colour, fabric, detail and the way we’re styling them. I think you’ll see a fresh approach to the look that people refer to as ‘preppy.
TOMMY HILFIGER
That colour happens to be the ruby red that’s been making the rounds from the runways to the high street windows, where saturated red knits now seem to be obligatory. In a company like Tommy Hilfiger, every decision is weighed and measured, and this show was no exception. His return to the big format felt like a reclaiming of his historical slice of the American sportswear craze currently sported on Michael Rider’s Celine runway and Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton, and which is partly responsible for the resurgence of Polo Ralph Lauren.
Historically, Hilfiger’s take on American prep had a way of connecting with youth cultures and subcultures, who couldn’t always mirror themselves in other purveyors of that same aesthetic. With its fresh, youthful energy and upbeat attitude, today’s reassertion provided just that ease and accessibility. “I’ve always been obsessed with iconic America and Americans and Americana. It’s travelled very well, but New York Fashion Week is now meaningful,” he said. “All the top brands are showing here and there’s a lot of young brands; a lot of energy in New York, whether it’s Brooklyn or SoHo or Staten Island or the Bronx, there’s a lot of youth-quakes going on.”
In a time when New York’s Mamdani is flying the flag for socialism in Trump’s America, there’s much to say about our newfound affinity for Americana. What values does Hilfiger think America represents? “Positivity and relentless optimism, and the hope for a happier future for everyone,” he said. “I think the American message is always important. To me, it’s about pop culture: it’s about fashion, music, art, entertainment and sports. Fame. When we’re doing our advertising and marketing and speaking to the public, it’s about fashion-tainment. It’s about creating an experience for the audience. And this is the ultimate way you can share that.”
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