Hours before Haider Ackermann’s second show for the house of Tom Ford, British model Ella Richards welcomed Wonderland into her Paris haunt for a sneak peek at the evening’s glam.
There are so many parallels between the design codes of Haider Ackermann and Tom Ford. But one thing the French designer possesses that his American counterpart doesn’t quite in the same way, is a mastery of colour. That’s the first thought that comes to mind when stepping into Richards’ Paris apartment, where an utterly saturated, velvety purple suit hangs proudly on the wall. Now, we can see how seamlessly the look fits within Ackermann’s vision for Spring 26 – but in that moment, just two hours before the show, it felt like peeking through a crack into a world you’re not yet part of.
“It’s my first time attending a Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann show. I know it’s going to be amazing because it’s Haider – he’s incredible with colour. I’m looking forward to seeing what he does,” Richards says. Around her, a dream glam team helps the British-born model get ready for the big night – the makeup is soft and airbrushed to porcelain perfection, balancing out the power of the suit. Her hair, tamedly messy, is tied in a knot “meant to look like she did it herself”. Keep scrolling for an exclusive look…
Tell me a little bit about your relationship with the brand. You’ve been working together for a long time. Do you have any favourite memories from it?
When I was 17, I used to do all of Tom Ford’s shows when he was showing back in London. I’d come up for castings from school in the countryside, take the train, and spend a lot of time with Tom and the team. I did a good handful of their shows for the following seasons – hair and makeup tests, shoe tests, everything. So I have really fond memories of working together. He’s the most amazing man, so gentle and kind.
Did he ever teach you anything that’s stayed with you since those early days?
He was just very caring. He had these crazy-high shoes for one of the seasons, and I almost twisted my ankle during a fitting – so he made sure they added an ankle strap to all the shoes for the show. Just very thoughtful. I loved working with him. I was really young, so it was incredible.
I heard there’s a lacquered floor today – the ankle straps will definitely come in handy.
Yeah, that’s probably slippery. We had a mirrored runway for one of his shows and it was really slippery – and the heels were the highest. They made a mini runway backstage with the same floor so everyone could practise. It was actually quite scary.
Your outfit today is unbelievable. Tell us all about it.
They said Haider really saw me in a suit, so we went with a suit. The purple is so vibrant and strong, but it’s also really sexy at night – it gets this beautiful shimmer and becomes a little more subtle. I love it.
It feels very Tom Ford.
It does – you know, like old-school Tom Ford.
And what was the vision for today’s glam?
Because the suit’s so full of colour – with the purple and the red – we went for a more understated look. Effortless, undone, like I could have done it myself and just run out the door. I could have gone full glam, but I wanted to keep it easy and effortless with this look.
Words – Sofia Ferreira
Photography – Emma Rahmani
Content shared from www.wonderlandmagazine.com.
