Predictability isn’t exactly in fashion right now. Especially when trends are so fickle, and when the variables that influence it have no way of stabilising in either direction or number.

Don’t even get us started on the presence of the algorithm; the fact that clothes are no longer the main point of fashion week already sidelines the significance of writing about the actual garments, let alone highlighting one’s commitment to savoir-faire and the absolute luxury of materials used. There is richness, there is heritage. But does it turn heads? Does it make for a ground-breaking viral moment? If the answer is no, out of feeds you go.

Sensationalism isn’t the goal of every house that participates in this seasonal fanfare of show-and-tell. Tod’s has always been about the long game, so what editors look out for isn’t so much new offerings as it is how else the same story can be retold and reframed time and time again, with endearment.

In the absence of dopamine hits, a viewer is afforded clearer discernment, and sometimes that kind of calm allows campaigns to cut through and touch with more depth, even with a subtler messaging. If the message itself resonates of course, and subtlety isn’t drowned out by noise.

Since Matteo Tamburini’s appointment, the brand feels less about staying true to an established identity, and more about building an expanding vocabulary of style that is universally accorded made in good taste. It’s somewhat younger, fresher, more about seeking out conviviality in shared experiences than presenting grand gestures that risk austerity.

Perhaps this is why they’ve managed to secure ambassadors who have managed to get through to the younger crowd, without the whole of Tod’s having to completely rebrand or become reliant on them. It’s still about the quality leather, the Gommino, and the PASHMY, but it’s also how the reassurance of quality creates space for freedom, play and living. That’s attractive to the crowd who are increasingly enamoured by the analogue way of living, and if Italian living has got anything to do with slowing down, then this is jackpot.

Casting real people as models of the campaign — doing real people things — probably also contributed to why the soft and sleek finishes of their buttery leathers feel more personal this season. Every individual was really living in the looks after all, just on a screen; dogs were walked, cars were driven, bikes were rode and conversations were had. Situating the clothes in the normalcy and spontaneity of a real person’s life actively engages the values words can only do so much to convey, which is what perhaps makes this presentation more thorough in its execution, and nothing sells better than good storytelling.

Part of the reason why Tod’s also works for a wider audience today also stems from its recognition of merging spheres of activity. New renditions of the ultra-light-soled Red Dot sneaker, made for the man who moves seamlessly between work and leisure, as well as transforming the Gommino into a movement-inclined boot, takes weight off of the rigourous mettle associated with ‘craftsmanship’. This would have inspired awe maybe five years ago. But not anymore. Matteo Tamburini understands that “premium” is nothing but a standard, and if an ideal state of being involves running between the gym and the office, good style should respect and reflect that desire.

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