Party on: Tom Ford showcases new collection

LONDON (AP) Dim the lights, pour the champagne and get the party started: That's the atmosphere greeting guests at Tom Ford's fashion show in London Monday, and it's a totally accurate reflection of the catwalk looks to come.

Staged in a darkened room with mirrored walls and suede couch seating along the runway, Ford's show was everything one would expect from him opulent, glamorous, and with oodles of sex appeal.

"I was very much in the mood for a very powerful, strong woman," the American designer said after the show, which drew actors Colin Firth and Cate Blanchett to the front row.

The collection "was sexy, but in a sensual rather than overtly sexual way, which was why everything was quite covered up and chaste. Yet if you really looked at it you feel that you can see right through it," he added.

"Chaste" is probably not the first word one would use to describe Ford's spring womenswear collection. Although necklines were high and most dresses featured long sleeves, the frocks were skin-tight and the hemlines were super short.

Ford opened the collection with jackets and little dresses in buttery, rich brown textured leather a luxurious version of biker chic.

A series of mostly monochrome mini dresses followed, in zebra print, an oversized fishnet pattern, or black mesh overlaid with cobweb-like patterns.

Then came the all-out glamorous statement pieces: Party dresses covered in sparkly beading, and catsuits encrusted head-to-toe in mirror pieces. The final look was a sheer black lace gown dripping with diamantes.

More practical for most women would be the sharp black trouser suits: One had a sexy lace-up back, and another was double-breasted with satin panels. Not for the everyday business meeting, but very effective as formal wear for women who prefer trousers to dresses.

Ford was showing on Day 4 of London Fashion Week, which also saw other big names including Burberry Prorsum and Christopher Kane showcasing their latest collections.