Last April in Paris, I caught myself staring at an amazingly stylish woman who was wearing a white long-sleeve button-down shirt, pants that were synched on the ankle, the most amazing dove gray fringe heels, and a thick belt in the same material as the shoes. I had to ask my friend Ingrid Go who she was and she told me she was Tod’s new creative director Alessandra Facchinetti.

I was excited for her collection to come out and was even happier to see that the accessories she was wearing were part of their Spring Summer 2014 collection.

Who is Alessandra Facchinetti? She isn’t a newbie in the fashion world, that’s for sure. She was named creative director of Valentino in 2007 succeeding Valentino Garavani. When she designs, she starts from the feet up and has an obsession with shoes that fit perfectly. If she isn’t known yet now, I’m sure, with Tod’s attached to her name, she will be.

Back when Derek Lam was designing Tod’s, the ready-to-wear was a small part of the collection. Their bags and shoes seemed to be the star of this brand.

With Facchinetti at the helm, the brand wants to grow, putting out their first runway show in Milan last September. About her debut collection, Facchinetti said she wanted to “treat leather like cotton,” something, I think, she easily achieved.

Women’s accessories

The iconic piece, the Gommino driving loafer, comes in stripes and spots this season. This stylish leather moccasin has been imagined in a variety of sporty but chic two-tone contrasting colors.

The ballerina Gommino comes in bright red, pink and aqua fringes, while the Sella Bag, large Shopper and classic Bauletto all come with striped panels in contrasting colors.

The more structured Tod’s D-Cube Bag comes in four sizes with contrasting colored panels and in a range of leathers, including exotic skins. The bucket is a slouchy and relaxed, elegant

all-purpose bag with fine shoulder straps and geometric contrasting color panels.

Men’s accessories

The Tod’s double stripe is still a core component in the Tod’s bag collection for men, and comes in variety of styles. The new Gommino 122 Moccasin is characterized by its square-toe shape and its iconic  pebble sole.

I find the most exciting part is that Tod’s offers customized service where the customer can choose from 12 colors available. They can even have a monogram added, applied to a leather label that is then hand-stitched inside or outside the bag.

I have always known Tod’s for its driving shoes and their amazing leather. In fact, we visit their boutique in Greenbelt 3  every other month because my husband always wants to see what new stock they have. Now, I’ll be happy to accompany him because I’m eyeing a pair of fringed heels. Exactly what Alessandra was wearing the first time I saw her in Paris.

In fact, I recommend everyone to visit the store because this collection is an exciting one. Sexy, fun, elegant, with a bit of restraint. Something one should have a piece of in his or her closet.