It’s a great time to be Barbara Tfank. She has stayed true to herself and her vision of elegance and femininity and discovers that there is a return to glamor in fashion, especially with the revival of the so-called swan culture. “There is a kind of pleasure in getting dressed again. It’s great to see how people look back on the greats of the past and get inspired by them,” said Tfank.
For her Fall 2024 collection, she included much shorter options for the modern swans, who probably have fewer balls to attend than Babe Paley. A highlight was a short, sheer organza dress with three-dimensional floral appliqué that had a casual appeal because of its length, but still read as ‘evening’. The designer is also still obsessed with children’s gloves, which she introduced in her Fall 2023 collection, pairing them with strapless satin dresses or one-shoulder looks. She remembered being a little girl in New York and people always wearing leather gloves on public transportation. Although Tfank has been a fan of scarves for a long time, this season she has opted for small embroidered capes that she can combine as outerwear with her pieces. “I don’t dictate to my clients when to wear the pieces,” Tfank added. “Do what you want, wear it and enjoy it.”
