Goodbye, Chunky Sweaters—This Sleek Tom Ford for Gucci–Esque Alt Is Here to Stay

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Model walks Gucci's RTW Fall 1995 Runway collection designed by Tom Ford.
(Image credit: Guy Marineau/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

Certain runway collections are more memorable than others, and then there's Tom Ford's fall 1995 collection for Gucci. It wasn't Ford's first collection for the brand—he was given his seat at the helm of the Italian fashion house in 1994—but it is undoubtedly his most famous, and it's the one that fashion people refer back to most often when discussing his monumental 10-year tenure as Gucci's creative director. (The designer stepped down in 2004, founding his namesake brand a year later.) Why was fall 1995 so significant? It was the start of something new—a complete departure from Gucci's previous look.

Suddenly, fabrics were translucent and slinkier, and necklines were lower and more revealing. Throughout the collection's runway debut, one sleek, sexy garment kept popping up: almost entirely unbuttoned collared knits styled with low and stretchy trousers, fitted suits, and rich fur jackets. To this day, whenever I see anything even remotely like them, I think of this exact collection by Ford. Recently, I've been seeing them everywhere.

Model walks Gucci's RTW Fall 1995 Runway collection designed by Tom Ford.

Helena Christensen for Gucci Fall 1995

(Image credit: Guy Marineau/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

Model walks Gucci's RTW Fall 1995 Runway collection designed by Tom Ford.

Amber Valletta for Gucci Fall 1995

(Image credit: Guy Marineau/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

Unfortunately for big, chunky sweaters, the trend pendulum appears to be swinging away from all things oversize and toward fitted, sleek alternatives like those sultry collared silhouettes at Gucci's show back in '95. A leader in the cause is—big surprise—Sabato De Sarno, Gucci's current creative director, whose work at the house has been compared to Ford's on several occasions. De Sarno's debut collection for spring/summer 2024 included multiple low-cut, unbuttoned polo-neck sweaters styled with tiny leather shorts and pencil skirts. His Pre-Fall 25 collection likewise featured the knitwear design worn underneath a furry, patterned jacket with green split-hem trousers and sneakers.

A Gucci model wearing a gray polo-neck sweater with a dark gray pencil skirt and pink heels at the S/S 24 show.

Gucci S/S 24

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)

A Gucci model wearing a gray polo-neck sweater with a purple patterned fur jacket, green trousers, a tan bag, and pink sneakers for Pre-Fall 25.

Gucci Pre-Fall 25

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight)

As a result, more and more brands across the industry have followed suit, and shoppable options in both cardigan and pullover versions are making frequent appearances at popular retailers, from Reformation and J.Crew to Net-a-Porter and Nordstrom. By the final weeks of 2024, many of the most-wanted pieces had already sold out, making room for fresh alternatives this year, many of which are likely to meet the same fate. Scroll down to shop them before that happens.

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Eliza Huber
Eliza Huber
Associate Editorial Director

Eliza Huber is currently the Associate Editorial Director at Who What Wear. She joined the company in 2021 as a fashion editor after starting her career as a writer at Refinery29, where she worked for four years. During her time at WWW, she launched Go Sports, the publication's sports vertical, and published four (and counting) quarterly issues tied to the WNBA, Formula One, and more. She also created two franchises, Let's Get a Room and Ways to Wear; profiled Dakota Fanning, Diane Kruger, Katie Holmes, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter for WWW's monthly cover features; and reported on new seasonal trends, up-and-coming designers, and celebrity style.