Tom Ford S/S 2009 : Jon Kortajarena and Karen Elson by Tom Ford

[cottonmouth13]

where's karen's??? i wanna see her shot.

[Kanna]

Karen Elson? Where is she?

[Spike413]

That last shot of the blue is definitely an improvement over the first two. And Karen Elson's gonna make an appearence? I'm already sold!

[BerlinRocks]

Tom Ford not only art directed his spring men’s wear and eyewear advertising campaigns, he also shot the photographs for the first time. “I have taken pictures for years, but recently have become more serious about it and have started shooting portraits,” said Ford. “I have always felt that an advertising image is in a sense the last layer of the design, and so decided this season to just shoot the campaign myself.“

tom ford the new karl lagerfeld of fashion photography ?

“Fashion advertising lately has become very complex in terms of production, and I think that often, in these dense, heavily art directed campaigns, that the clothes seem to get lost a bit,” said Ford. “I wanted to create clean, straightforward shots of a handsome man in beautifully cut clothes. Simple, clear, and fresh.”

not so wrong ....
but the way of going the opposite, or doing something fresher is not really that interesting .... now that he gives the words behind the "minimalist" (ie underlining the presence of the outfits in space) campain .... i don't know why but i feel some people have changed their mind .... ahah

[thiago:)]

Now he's photographing too I don't know, I haven't seen anything interesting so far, maybe with Karen...

[j'adorekapusta]

Originally Posted by elenab

His words explains it all. Tom always goes ahead. Average people will always complain, either about too much nudity or shocking pictures or nothing at all. I am sure his smart, picky customers are loving the campaign and the clothes that they WILL BUY.

i am sorry, but i think the whole Tom Ford's approach is aimed for average people. neither his 'nudity/shock', nor 'nothing at all' concepts bring anything new in creative sense. he may produce great clothes, but his campaigns are nothing more than pictures of beautiful men and women. which is pretty stagnant thing to do. everything else (and let's be honest here) is an unimpressive pose.
and i don't think advertising campaigns are about the exact clothes (let it be suits, ties or accessories). these high-budget pricey spreads have to create an allure of a label, a desire for a customer to spend some cash on it. it's not about showcasing cut and patterns. leave that for lookbooks.

[BerlinRocks]

these high-budget pricey spreads have to create an allure of a label, a desire for a customer to spend some cash on it. it's not about showcasing cut and patterns. leave that for lookbooks.

ah .... not wrong there ....
good words !

[cottonmouth13]

i need to see karen's!!!

[Spike413]

Originally Posted by j'adorekapusta

i am sorry, but i think the whole Tom Ford's approach is aimed for average people. neither his 'nudity/shock', nor 'nothing at all' concepts bring anything new in creative sense. he may produce great clothes, but his campaigns are nothing more than pictures of beautiful men and women. which is pretty stagnant thing to do. everything else (and let's be honest here) is an unimpressive pose.
and i don't think advertising campaigns are about the exact clothes (let it be suits, ties or accessories). these high-budget pricey spreads have to create an allure of a label, a desire for a customer to spend some cash on it. it's not about showcasing cut and patterns. leave that for lookbooks.

Normally I'd completely agree with you, and after all, that method is part of what made Tom Ford so well known.

But I think that at this point he's really in a place where people already know what it is he stands for and are more than willing to buy into it. He's created the allure of "Tom Ford" already, the ad campaigns really aren't even necessary.

[BerlinRocks]

OMFG ......
Spike and Kapusta you're both raising good points .......
* 'im lost *

these high-budget pricey spreads have to create an allure of a label, a desire for a customer to spend some cash on it. it's not about showcasing cut and patterns. leave that for lookbooks.

He's created the allure of "Tom Ford" already, the ad campaigns really aren't even necessary.

but I think .... though people know Tom Ford, they know him via Gucci .... and to me, the new Tom Ford customer is different ......
and I think Tom Ford should be clear about this .... and making campains with a grey/white background is not the solution ....

well I think Kapusta opened my eyes and I'm on his side ....
creating an atmosphere should be necessary ....
he tried with Terry's campain .... A mix of a 1950s private-life codes and 2000s extreme lifestyle and social codes (the caring housewife vs the powerful woman) .... It was intelligent, imo ... I will not change my opinion about this campain ...
But I can understand people didn't like it because it's true it had this comic/sexual touch that wasn't really necessary ... But that's what you have when you hire Terry ...

Tom should go further in that sense ...

[Street_a_Licious]

imo Black Orchid created the great draw to the brand "Tom Ford". sexy, sultry, dark, elegant, slightly evil. it was gorgeous.

[surrealseven]

I'm bothered by how the logo isn't centralized in the ad.

[j'adorekapusta]

But I think that at this point he's really in a place where people already know what it is he stands for and are more than willing to buy into it. He's created the allure of "Tom Ford" already, the ad campaigns really aren't even necessary.

i can see your point here, but then again... what is the primal purpose for advertising campaigns? why do so much labels spend millions on glossy images of airbrushed models tucked with dresses/shoes/bags each season? and if Tom Ford had already succeeded in building a brand image and didn't need an ad campaign at all (which i really doubt), then why would uber-brands like Chanel, Hermes and LV which have history, heritage, public recognition and brand loyalty young labels like Tom Ford can only dream of, why would they bother to produce ads at all? don't people know what Chanel stands for? and, correct me if i'm wrong, these brands have much more for people to associate them with than cologne bottle tucked in someone's shaved butt or vagina.
as for the topic of our discussion, i liked what BerlinRocks said. these images (ss09 i mean) are rather doubtful choice for making a statement (if any) about what you do and what you want people to feel about it. and making no statement is just another way to do so.

[vogue28]

[photo taken by vogue28 from UK VOGUE MARCH 2009]

[Salvatore]

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Love it!