One evening in late January, Haider Ackermann, the new designer at Tom Ford, was tucked into a velvet banquette at La Reserve, the discreet, tryst-worthy hotel not far from the Élysée Palace in Paris. He was doing his best impression of Tom Ford, the man.

The new designer at the storied house made his debut on Wednesday night during Paris Fashion Week—with plenty of sly references to the brand's founder.

Ackermann reinterpreted Ford's fashion legacy, and brought in some of himself in a solid men's and women's debut collection for the house.