TOM FORD by Aparna Singh

the age of minimalism

Tom Ford has been one of the most—if not the most—brilliant and fearless minds in the fashion world. The 57-year-old designer might be known for being camera shy, but his work on the runway (and in the cinema) has spoken volumes to his innate creative ability; turning what once began as leap of faith, into one of the most sought-after labels on the market. The Texas-born Ford made his bones in the fashion world in the ‘90s, when he relocated to Milan with his now husband, Richard Buckley. Ford took a job at Gucci, which at the time was flirting with bankruptcy. The brand was in trouble, and everyone knew it. It had failed to reach the heights of other Italian names like Versace and Armani. Key players on Gucci’s design team began to step down, but Ford remained—ever devoted to his vision. And by 1994, Ford would be named creative director.

PERFECTIONIST FORD Over the next couple of years, Ford would show some of his most celebrated collections— debuting nuanced garments like velvet hip-huggers and tailored satin shirts. Not long after, brands all over began emulating Ford’s collections. Revenue was increasing exponentially for Gucci and with Ford at the helm, cleverly steering the brand’s identity, it would only continue to grow—putting Gucci back on the map in a big way. Over the next couple of years, Ford would show some of his most celebrated collections— debuting nuanced garments like velvet hip-huggers and tailored satin shirts. Not long after, brands all over began emulating Ford’s collections. Revenue was increasing exponentially for Gucci and with Ford at the helm, cleverly steering the brand’s identity, it would only continue to grow—putting Gucci back on the map in a big way. By 1999, Ford had propelled the brand from its erstwhile tarnished image to a sexy, modern label that was worth an estimated $4.3 billion. Part of his success, aside from his unrelenting ambition, was to bring things up-to-date—looking at styles past and giving them a sort of contemporary refurbishment. “Fashion is more or less a wheel that spins, styles come and go,

and come back again in a newer, sometimes brighter, form meant to capture the eyes and hearts of the day’s consumer”. Understanding this, Ford built the brand up by reviving Gucci classics and giving them a modern vibe. He did things other designers weren’t necessarily doing, took risks and became known for his sexually provocative ad campaigns and commercials. And even after Gucci bought stake in Yves Saint Laurent, and Ford was named creative director of YSL’s ready-towear line, he still continued to shock and wow editors and consumers alike with his designs for Gucci. In 2004, at age 42, Ford found himself without a job. After leaving Gucci, and all he’d worked for in his expeditious rise to the top of the fashion world, he was left to battle his inner demons of depression and alcoholism. But never one to sit back and wait, Ford soon announced the inception of his film production company, an area of interest for the designer since he was a boy. Very shortly after, the designer also returned to fashion, and by 2005, “Tom Ford” became a label of its own—beginning with eyewear, menswear and beauty.

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Glamour, Quality and Luxury

The own label- shaped with Tom Ford’s singular vision of modern glamour and crafted with the ultimate in quality and luxury.

In April 2005, Tom Ford announced the creation of the “TOM FORD” brand. Tom Ford was joined in this venture by former Gucci Group President and CEO Domenico De Sole who serves as Chairman of the company. In April 2007, his first directly owned flagship store opened in New York at Madison A venue and coincided with the debut of the Tom Ford Menswear and accessory collection. During an intimate presentation at his Madison Avenue flagship, Ford presented his much-anticipated womenswear collection. In the same year, Ford announced his partnership with Marcolin group to produce and distribute optical frames and sunglasses, as well as an alliance with Estee Lauder to create the Tom Ford beauty brand. It wasn’t long before the designer and his company became one of fashion’s hottest brands. Distinguishing his consumers as “international” and “cultured” (and someone possessing disposable income), Ford grew to know who his customers were. Someone who knows their style.

Over the last decade, the designer has dressed everyone from Beyoncé and Anne Hathaway to Johnny Depp and Will Smith. Even former First Lady Michelle Obama was spotted sporting a Tom Ford evening dress while attending a state dinner at Buckingham Palace in 2011, which at the time made complete sense as the American-born designer was headquartered in London. Ultimately, the ivory ‘goddess’ gown garnered Obama praise from the British press, in what some might say was one of her best looks. Beyond his vision, Ford has always been unapologetically himself—in both fashion and film. He knows his customer and while he may experiment from time to time, it’s an attribute which has kept discerning individuals coming back since long before launching his own brand in 2005.

Though some of his ad campaigns over the years certainly brought about controversy, Ford continued to do things his way—all the while crossing over to film. His first movie, “A Single Man” and 2016’s psychological thriller “Nocturnal Animals,” went on to be critically acclaimed, earning numerous nominations from the Academy Awards and Golden Globes among others. The shift to film speaks to the rarity of Ford’s creative genius, one that’s undoubtedly kept his brand (and its designer) draped in fame. Presently, there are 98 freestanding Tom Ford Stores and shop-in-shop in location such as Milan, Tokyo, Las Vegas, Dubai, Zurich, New Delhi, Shanghai and Russia. Tom Ford is currently the head designer and creative director of all TOM FORD fashion collections (TOM FORD Menswear, TOM FORD Womenswear, TOM FORD Eyewear, and TOM FORD Beauty). Ford currently lives in Los Angeles, London and Santa FE.

PERSONAL STYLE Known as the ‘Gentleman of Style’, Tom Ford is a ‘Smooth Operator’ with his monochromatic looks. On being asked about his affection for black he said, “People always ask me why I wear black so often. The answer is that I feel FRPIRUWDEOH DQG FRQÀGHQW in it. I personally tend to feel the best in dark colours.” His signature dress up is not complete without a statement eyewear and a white pocket square. And he wears them in a totally un-ironic way, at every occasion. Ford very often sports a twobutton black peak lapel suit coupled with a whiWWte, open neck shirt to keep things simple. Alongside some shiny black oxfords and behind Steve McQueen-esque 70's sunglasses, Ford reinforces the all-important mantra that you don't need to dress down to keep life simple.

In real life he's setting trends and breaking boundaries every single chance he gets. Ford has no shortage of red carpet and high-fashion events in which he's dressing himself and his slew of fashionable muses, but he prefers to keep it classic when it comes to his personal style. "I suppose that I am generally, fairly classically dressed. It's important for a man or woman to find what works for you, what you're the most comfortable in, and stick to it." And that idea of comfort differs for everyone. Ford advises us all to embrace that and play around with our signatures just a bit with each season. "You can change the shoulder, you can change the shape: styles do move on. But find what you're comfortable in. And if you're comfortable in extreme fashion and a beautiful plunging neckline, then wear it." A large part of the success of Tom Ford as a menswear label is that Mr Ford is his own brand: people want to dress like him.

Inspirations

In one world life. Whatever he sees around he takes inspiration. “Real fashion changes come from real changes in real life. Everything else is just decoration.” His independence is what allows him to create freely. The ‘joy’ and ‘fun’ of creating his own thoughts was the factor which generated the huge success of his early years. “It is great to be doing something that is purely 100% of my own taste, my own vision, my own creation from the ground up. Tom Ford speaks of his immense interest in watching people which he says is a trait from his mother. The years of watching people working around true and with solutions to bridge the link between product offering and resonance. People help determine certain connections that are ever present.

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Spring 2018 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection

12 For Spring, more so than at his see-now-buy-now go-round at the Four Seasons last September, Ford took cues from his own successful menswear. It was a good instinct. As he put it backstage, he’s designed a man’s suit that’s recognizable from across the room as a Tom Ford, “fully canvas-lined, with 36 hours of handwork.” It’s so recognizable, in fact, that he’s had many female clients asking him for men’s suits of their own, tailored to fit their bodies. Previously, Ford didn’t have the capability, but now he does. And so, voilà, his new women’s jackets are broad of shoulder, peaked of lapel, and cut in a variety of materials, most fabulously a shocking pink velvet. Ford’s jackets were confident, expertly cut, and when paired with a plunge-front, backless jumpsuit on Mica Argañaraz, drop dead sexy in the manner of his Gucci shows of old. His second plan of attack this season, recapturing his signature ’90s glam, is no easy feat, especially without his then-muse and designer whisperer Carine Roitfeld by his side. But is that likely to stop Ford? The hip-flashing maillots he paired with low-slung pants looked like a 20-teens refresh of Georgina Grenville’s era-defining cutout jersey column dress, designed with an eye to the body positive Hadid and Jenner clans. The crystallized T-shirts, worn sans pants, were harder to peg, but as a twentysomething colleague pointed out, they’d be perfect for Rihanna. At first glance, the red carpet interlude wasn’t quite so racy, but as those ruched net dresses made their way back down the runway, it became clear just how sheer they were. The times have changed, but Ford is as fearless as ever.

Spring 2018 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection

14 Coed vs. gender-specific. See-now-buy-now vs. see when the buyers do, then buy when it drops. Statement-making runway splash vs. self-contained presentation. Tom Ford has cut across pretty much all the interlinked parallel narratives through which fashion has told its stories recently, and even made an Oscar-nominated, double-narrative movie at the same time. Today the master director returned to a mise-en-scène, long practiced: the in-showroom menswear presentation. The immaculate black-clad auteur watched on as his models walked the thick neutral carpets in his gently hushed Via Borgonuovo chambers. Wide-lapelled but narrow-cut suiting was teamed with with wide ties in unusual but successful color combinations. Zingy toned suede trucker jackets were layered over zip-up hoodies and waffled henleys over billowypocketed denim. Casual outerwear included a camo print cotton peak-lapelled jacket and a casual dégradé leopard print ponyskin jacket. Shoes included goldchained loafers and Saucony-touched retro sneakers. There was a huge selection of louche-ly plutocratic evening jackets, some swirling with borderline psychedelic marble print. That print was translated to shorter-than-short short swimming boxers. A quick glance at the label, on the rail, revealed an elastane count of no less than 22 percent. Tom Ford continues to stretch his vision of immaculate raffishness.

FALL 2018 Menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Collection

From snake skin print to nudes, Tom Ford launched underwear and watches on the runway.

Tom Ford’s opinion on where his label’s menswear, now a decade old, needs to be, pitched is somewhere between what he’d want to wear and something that a whole other guy might gravitate toward. The duality on offer here in his Fall 2018 collection oscillated between impeccably cut and finished tailoring that suggested, in its lean, precise, and glossy forms, a grown-up who is no stranger to clocking in the hours at Equinox, and the kind of street-ier, sportier pieces that wouldn’t be out of place if that street had a particularly ritzy zip code. For every bicep-grazing, gluteus maximus–enhancing gray pin-striped flannel suit there was a snakeskin-print jean; for every shimmering rose gold metallic tuxedo, an overstuffed black down parka. ( Ford showed things that could be both, like the witty mashup of tasseled evening slipper and chunky-soled sneaker.)

Ford’s show was essentially the curtain raiser to New York Fashion Week—he presented his womenswear in the same Park Avenue Armory space 48 hours later—and he along with Raf Simons are the big menswear draws this particular season. It’s commendable that Ford showed his men’s collection in New York. Ford’s own vision of masculinity was well to the fore in this show, and it is perhaps best described as the pleasure to be found in reveling in one’s own as much as looking at someone else’s. If other well-established male designers simply offer up a resigned shrug at having to dress guys their age, preferring instead to focus only on gilded youth, Ford’s modus operandi seems to be to anoint the latter while not denying the existence of the former. After all, why would a designer willingly write himself out of his own narrative?

Elsewhere, the show hinted at the two cities that currently lie on his personal landscape—the London he left and the L.A. he now calls home—something that he made more explicit during a chat backstage. He took the notion that men never look more masculine than when they’re in fabrics traditionally considered feminine (satin, brocade, lamé); from the latter, there was a more relaxed, rocked-up look of skinny pants, shiny Cuban-heeled boots, and glam jackets. Among all this, two other reasons he showed his men’s solo on the runway—a new line of watches and the launch of his underwear. The watches were handsome, hefty, luxe adornments. The underwear, matched to the skin tones of the male models, is based on the conceit that effectively you become nude when you wear it. We are of course in a moment when elsewhere people are calling time on sexualizing the runways, but for Ford, that would be simply giving in to the straitjacket—pin-striped or zebra print, it doesn’t matter—of being politically correct.

18 Pure silk, sometimes with a moire sheen, and delivered in patterns of abstract animalia or mineral pattern, this was eveningwear that demanded the most visible seat in whatever room you were gracing.

FALL 2018 Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Collection

Ford seemed to gave a nod to #MeToo besides the collection show.

20 Three-quarters of the way through Tom Ford’s show tonight came the logo sweatshirt to end all logo sweatshirts. The designer’s slanting signature was picked out in crystals on black sequins above block letters spelling Beverly Hills. Anybody who lived through the ’80s was instantly reminded of Giorgio Beverly Hills, the iconic Rodeo Drive boutique and the insanely successful status symbol-y fragrance it spawned. Ford relocated to L.A. from London in the last year or so, so he has a personal resonance with zip code 90210. Of course, he’s always had a killer eye for branding. This instance seemed to wink ever so slightly at Alessandro Michele’s logo-crazy Gucci, Ford’s alma mater. He’s careful to remind people that he hired Michele back in the day. In any case, there will be wait lists for Ford’s sparkly sweatshirt, which he accessorized with leopard-print leggings, one of many pairs in many different materials that gave this collection its athletic mien. Besides branding, another area of Fordian expertise is glorious excess. And trust, there was no shortage of it at his Park Avenue Armory show tonight. The Dow plunged more than 1,000 points earlier today. No doubt, some panicky tycoons dotted the front row, but irrational exuberance lives on on this runway. Animal spots, sequins, animal spots rendered in sequins, acid colors, Koos Van Den Akker on LSD patchworks—this show had them all and then some. The go-go ’80s weren’t the only era he plumbed, either. Marginally more sober black minidresses worn with silver tights, crystal-heeled slingback pumps, thick headbands, and oversize hoops conjured Andy Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick. The tailoring was predictably strong, given his menswear business, and the sexy tuxedo catsuit is poised for the red carpet. Elsewhere, Ford seemed to give a nod to #MeToo moment. Grace Hartzel carried a bag that proudly declared Pussy Power. That’s Tom Ford in a nutshell: confident in the extreme and irreverent to the edge of defiance. For every viewer that questions this show’s good taste, there’s another that’ll call it glamour and be seduced.

SPRING 2013 Women

Never mind New York’s hot dogs ‘n’ hamburger smackdown; Tom Ford has always been a ham. He gives good performance. So it was a letdown to learn that he wouldn’t be talking us through his new collection as usual. “We know what we’re looking at.” True. But Ford couldn’t resist throwing out a pre-presentation clue. “Chastity and perversity,” he announced. It’s a face-off as old as sexuality itself. Ken Russell probably issued the definitive manifesto on the subject with his movie The Devils, but what Ford brought to the table was his own inimitable, paradoxical union of chill and steam heat, voyeur and participant. It’s probably not so great for someone

like Ford who has always traded in the transgressive thrills of sex’s outer limits that the Fifty Shades phenomenon has made bondage way-less-than-a-dirtyword everywhere from Boise to Borneo, but nevertheless, the designer forged ahead with a tieme-up subtext that bound tops to the torso and boots to the leg. But the acute tailoring ensures that there is always something of the dominatrix in a Ford woman, so there was absolutely no submission in items like the black patent coat or the evening gown that flew away in a sweeping spinnaker of taffeta. In no way did it feel like new

ground for the designer. Even in the most restrained outfits—the flesh-toned turtleneck matched to a pencil skirt in exactly the same shade, with boots bound all the way up to the thigh, or the black biker jacket sat over sassy bike shorts —it was hard to find the chastity. “The belts!” Tom cried. “The hoods!” Yes, there is something vaguely penitential about a hood—unless it’s perched atop a plunging décolleté. The perversity, by way of contrast, was much closer. “It’s in my heart,” Ford said. And never were truer words spoken.

FALL 2013 Women

The aristocratic splendor of Lancaster House may have been more awe-inspiring than past venues, but some things were the same as they ever were, like the chiseled honor guard and Brobdingnagian flower arrangement that greeted us. And the place reeked of Tom—or rather, Tom Ford Noir. Preservationist palace protocol forbade anything airborne to scent the atmosphere, so Ford simply soaked his army of attendants in Noir. Human diffusers—every home should have one. With the scene so impressively set, it was intriguing to find a “cross cultural multi ethnic” promise printed on the piece of card that awaited guests when they sat. That seemed somehow humble in such a grand context. But the outfit Liya Kebede wore for the first exit immediately put paid to that delusion. Yes, her top could be construed as a variant of kente cloth. And yes, there was something Inuit about the thigh-high boots. And the beaded flowers on her skirt might have roots in tribal handiwork. But it was scarcely NatGeo that came to mind with her ensemble, or any of those that followed. The cultures that crossed here were glam and disco, Pop and Op, manga and Marvel. Even the most “sober” pieces, like Karlie Kloss’ extravagantly fringed leather poncho or Nadja Bender’s patchworked mink, had a cartoonish verve. Ford himself mused on the thin line between good taste and bad taste that he was walking. “I don’t think it crossed over,” he said. Some viewers will no doubt disagree. But what if it did? Unabashedly exalted excess can have a charm that is as hard to fight as the big KA-POWs on Ford’s eveningwear.

FALL 2013 Men

“Every product a man could possibly want,” announced Tom Ford to a roomful of editors during a day of presentations in London for his latest collection for men. He wasn’t kidding. And against the broad strokes of choice—like the five jacket silhouettes, the seven widths of tie—there were the small flourishes that defined Ford’s manic eye for detail. Like the buttonholes of a made-to-measure suit, which demanded thirty-five man-hours to finish. It’s always the buttonholes that bring out the real obsessives. Distinguishing a collection that has, in the past, been fierce in its rejection of one extra kilo of imperfection was a new (semi-)generosity of spirit, perhaps influenced by Ford’s work with Daniel Craig on the James Bond movies. He did, in fact, mention that his suit base had been modified for Mr. Muscle: the jacket not as skinny, the single-pleated pants trim but not tight, the waistcoat with a higher cut, giving it an early sixties secret-agent feel. The coats—boxier, cut short at the knee—and the clean lines of a roll-neck also echoed that era (though maybe more Harry Palmer than James Bond). Ford differentiated between his women’s and men’s collections like this: Womenswear is very fashion, men’s is very classic. But that distinction seemed a little on the reductive side for menswear that had enough quirky charm to take the chill off Tom’s perfectionism this time round. He used to say he’d never do knits (never flattering, he felt), and yet they have evolved into one of the collection’s strong points: lush in color, delightfully soft of touch and personal as-

“It takes me a long time in the morning to become the person that other people expect me to be.”

TOM FORD:

“I Am Really A Loner After All”

Mr. Ford, have you had a midlife crisis?

Yes. Leaving Gucci was devastating for me. Devastating because I had really put everything into that for fifteen years and all of a sudden I had no identity. “Who am I? What am I doing? I have no forum to speak to anyone anymore or to convey my thoughts or ideas.” Maybe I drank a little too much – living in London that's a very easy thing to do. The emphasis in my life maybe switched to things that were not the important things. So yeah, I had a bit of a midlife crisis. I wish there was a better term for that. It comes to everybody, maybe in your thirties, maybe in your forties, maybe in your sixties or seventies, who knows. You get to the moment where you feel the clock is ticking and you are wondering if you are really getting the most out of your life.

32 So the glamour you stand for doesn’t interest you?

After just being in New Mexico for two months, I realized that I could really work from anywhere. I am really a loner after all; I am really not a social person. Because of my job people think I am out every night, but I really hate all that. I am somebody who likes to be alone and see some close friends. I am a shy and introspective person.

Do you get the most inspiration from nature? It is the ultimate beauty, after all.

Yes, nature is the closest thing to God and I don’t mean God by any sort of religion but by the connection to the universe, which I think we have lost. The American Indians had that and where I live is actually the center of the Anasazi Indian civilization. I even have two huge Anasazi ruins on the property of my ranch. I am not saying that there definitely is some sort of spirituality coming from there, but there might be. When you are close to the earth and you get up when the sun comes up and you go to sleep when it goes down, it puts everything in perspective.

For many years you’ve shared your life with your boyfriend Richard Buckley. Is he your idea of a good life?

Richard is the person I love the most in the world and the person I have been together with for 23 years. So yes, but so are my dogs. I’ve asked myself, “If I were to die tomorrow what are the things that I will remember?” and I realized that nuzzling up with one of my dogs is one of the most precious things in my life! That would be something I would miss so much.

Are you really that much of a romantic? Yeah, I’m really a romantic.

Do you especially treasure the people you are close to because it is difficult for you to meet new people?

Honestly, I don’t meet very many people. I am married but no one comes on to me, ever. It is like I don’t exist sexually. No one, no one.

Are you a spiritual person?

I am a spiritual person in an eastern religion kind of way. I learned that happiness for all of us is a switch that you flick in your brain. It doesn’t have anything to do with getting a new house, a new car, a new girlfriend, or a new pair of shoes. Our culture is very much about that; we are never happy with what we have today. We always think that we need something else to be happy.

Mr. Ford, have you had a midlife crisis?

Yes. Leaving Gucci was devastating for me. Devastating because I had really put everything into that for fifteen years and all of a sudden I had no identity. “Who am I? What am I doing? I have no forum to speak to anyone anymore or to convey my thoughts or ideas.” Maybe I drank a little too much – living in London that’s a very easy thing to do. The emphasis in my life maybe switched to things that were not the important things. So yeah, I had a bit of a midlife crisis. I wish there was a better term for that. It comes to everybody, maybe in your thirties, maybe in your forties, maybe in your sixties or seventies, who knows. You get to the moment where you feel the clock is ticking and you are wondering if you are really getting the most out of your life.

It must be important to have somebody that goes with you through that whole journey of life, somebody that shows you that it is not about the next fashion show or advertisement you shoot. Of course it is. I am still friends with the people I went to school with. A lot of them have been working with me for the past 18 years. When you find somebody good, keep them! Keep them in your life.

You are Tom Ford after all, so people probably think they don’t have a chance anyways.

Maybe that is the reason, but no one, no one flirts, no one comes on to me. Usually when people are personal with me, then they want to give me their business card at the end of the conversation.

So you wish you would get hit on more often?

Of course! (Laughs) Why not? I am not saying I would act on it, but it would be nice.

How long does it take every morning for you to become that Tom Ford you were talking about before? It takes me a long time in the morning to become the person that other people expect me to be. When I feel depressed and I have a bad day or something terrible has happened or I have to face something, I go through a very precise ritual getting dressed in the morning. In a sense it is armor; I’m building up a layer. If everything in my material world is in order, I will be able to get through it. That perfectionism comes from me being a Virgo. My inner world is related to my outer world. If my house is a wreck, I’m a wreck. If I am together, that’s together. That’s a kind of balance.

If you have everything in life it is easier to lose yourself, it seems. And if you do have everything it is also easier to understand that those are not the important things. Unfortunately a lot of people don't get to that point. They spend their lives striving and still don't learn those lessons. Other people figure it out at age twenty and they’re completely balanced and together and understand how to keep things in check from an early age.

How would you describe your current state of mind?

I feel that I don't need anything for a good life. I grew up in New Mexico and the older I get I have less need for contemporary culture and big cities and all the stuff we are bombarded with. I am happier at my ranch in the middle of nowhere watching a bug carry leaves across the grass, listening to silence, riding my horse, and being in open space. So I have some sort of security that if I lost everything in my life, I would be very happy with the simple things because they are the ones that are important.