Tom Ford : Life after Gucci

[MariaAllegra]

Hi, MarrymeTomFord!
Do you know this Picture?

It is in his Book, too.
I think it is very hot....

 

[MariaAllegra]

Just foundt this one on
http://www.cpi-reps.com/Portfolios/NigelParry/ColorPortraits1/NPA031528-006/

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

Thank you all for those pictures! ... He is so hot in all those pictuires...especially the way he stares back at us in all his pics! Baby Tom was cute...but even back then he had that GLARE in his eyes ...when did he start losing his hair...looks very well covered in those pictures in the 1980s.... But i like him just the way he looks now... like fine wine or bad p*rn, he seems to be getting better and better with age.

About his menswear line, it is said that there will be no fashion shows for that one. just an "by appointment only" high end bespoke line for men. I'll miss seeing him on the runway

anyone heard about TF telling the guys at Estee lauder to "wear black socks or else"...? so diva-ish!

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

"Old" Pics from Tom.....
Taken from "Mr. High Fashion 2/2003":


There are wonderful DinA4-Pictures from his Mother and his Grandmother in this Issue, too.

Can you scan them and paste them here? *please* Heard a lot about his granma...a real character wasnt she

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

Tom Ford Can Get Them Out of Their Clothes Too

Fashion Wire Daily got the scoop on the Vanity Fair photos—commissioned but not published by that magazine—of former fashion megastar (and December Out cover man) Tom Ford. The pics, shot by the late, famed photographer Herb Ritts, feature Ford “on a large couch with two strikingly handsome, naked male models draped across his lap,” according to FWD. Ford seemed to think it was only natural: “You know the way that there is this heterosexual male fantasy of when a man gets rich and successful he surrounds himself with gorgeous women. Well, this was my homosexual version of that. It’s me with my b*tches . And they were great b*tches too. Just a pity that Vanity Fair did not have the nerve to run the shot.”

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

Tom Ford’s Latest Accessory

Tongues are wagging among fashionistas. The New York Post’s Page Six reports there’s a rumor that at a recent cocktail party in London, Tom Ford gave guests “an impromptu demonstration of his ‘balding toupee.’” According to the column’s source, Ford uses the small hairpiece to cover a big ol’ bald spot on the top of his head. Luckily, they assure us, the chest hair is all real.

 

[eternitygoddess]

Damn! Why does such a handsome man have to be homosexual? It's a huge loss for the female population.

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

If he were to miraculously turn staright, we women wouldnt want him..all his gay skills (courtesy, fashion sense, hot looks that he maintians religiously) would be gone and he would become Mr Fat Balding Average Joe

Whats TFs hieght... i read that someone was in a party that also had TF. that guy on his blog wrote that he was only 6 feet 1 inch, and that TF came only till his chin.....

also anyone have THIS picture...(TF in white, for God's sakes!!!)
Look, it's Tom, ' he says, pointing to a picture of Tom Ford that was taken not long before he resigned, in April, as chief designer for Gucci, an event treated by some of Davé's customers at least as seriously as the war with Iraq. In the picture, Ford is dressed in a white turtleneck and a white velvet jacket with huge lapels, and he is wearing aviator glasses. Ford had attended a party in the restaurant the night before, and Davé was smiling broadly. 'He was wild last night. I can say no more. Wild, do you understand me?' I tried to wrest some details from him. 'Non, non, non. I can say no more.' He concluded, 'But, when Tom loses it, it is lost.'

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

http://thebosh.com/archives/2004/10/getting_dirty_w.php
This baby has the best open legged TF pic ever! and the best opening qutoe too.. that baby is going into my signature here

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

i see no one care about Mr Ford anymore

Here is an old one from index magazine online
​

[FONT=Helvetica, Sans Serif]Tom Ford,[/FONT]

[FONT=Helvetica, Sans Serif]WITH PETER HALLEY
[/FONT]

The renowned designer, recently recovered from Gucci, talks about his liberal democratic childhood in Texas, his ranch in New Mexico, his new career in film, and his optimism about America's future. Creative Director Peter Halley and Tom Ford discussed current events at Ford's home in Santa Fe. PETER: Until this year, you were living full-time in Paris and London. What was your sense of the response to the Bush administration in Europe?
TOM: The U.S. used to be perceived as the moral leader of the world, and we have absolutely lost that. I think we appear as the most morally corrupt country on the planet. It is sad. When I go through passport control from London to Paris, I put my American passport down, and people look at me very differently than they did before. The U.S. used to be seen as the land where you could find freedom, and create a new life for yourself, whatever your background.
PETER: My friends in Europe talk to me about the election in an almost imploring tone, as if to say, "You people are the only ones who can change this."
TOM: It's true! Michael Moore's film has done a wonderful bit of PR for us all over the world. It has reminded people that not all Americans are warmongers who back the current administration. We do have a conscience.
PETER: A lot of people are saying that this election is an emergency.
TOM: It is. I'm a Texas resident, so my vote will be cast in a red state. I just hope there are a lot more people like me voting in Texas than we hear about.
PETER: There's actually a long tradition of enlightened liberalism in Texas. Until the '80s, a Democrat held every elected statewide office. Were your parents also native to Texas?
TOM: My family's been there since the 1830s. My mother was always very political and very much a Democrat.
PETER: It's funny — the Bushes are a bunch of Connecticut Yankees, and yet the President insists that he's a true Texan.
TOM: [laughs] He does. But Bush has embraced the stereotypical good-ole-boy side of Texas, which can be racist, narrow-minded, and self-serving. Remember also that Texas was settled by pioneers. It was its own country at one point, and in a way it still is. There are a lot of wonderful people in Texas, people who have a social, political, and environmental conscience.
PETER: You're a complicated guy. You seemed to be very much at home living in London and Paris. But you're from Texas, and you also seem perfectly happy out on your ranch near Santa Fe.
TOM: The two experiences make each other possible. From the time we're born until we die, we're kept busy with artificial stuff that isn't important. Being able to escape makes it possible for me to deal with popular culture. I get some of my best work done at the ranch. When I'm in town, I sit in front of my computer, connected to the world. I need to go away in order to think.
PETER: Have you owned the ranch for awhile?
TOM: Yeah. We're also breaking ground this week on an amazing house out there designed by Tadao Ando. There are cattle, horses, a vineyard, an orchard, and a movie set, believe it or not. It's been used for a lot of things — The Missing, All the Pretty Horses. It's a half-hour drive from the gate to the house. Sometimes I go out there for days and I just don't leave.
PETER: And you like LA too.
TOM: I love LA. LA is my American city. For the next few years I'll spend half the year in London and half the year in LA and Santa Fe. I think of LA as my American urban experience, London as my European urban experience, and Santa Fe as my country escape.
PETER: You're now focused on your new career as a filmmaker.
TOM: I am. I've been reading every script I can get my hands on, so I can come out of the summer with a couple of projects that I'm ready to start. And I'm actually writing something, which will probably be terrible. [laughs] I'm also negotiating to buy the rights to something at the moment.
PETER: That's exciting. Are you assembling a team in LA?
TOM: I have great agents at CAA who've been enormously helpful. I've opened a temporary office in LA and hired an LA-based assistant. Once I have a script that I'm ready to work on, I'll assemble a full team.
PETER: There are so many parallels between fashion and film. Fashion, like film, has a lot of stories embedded in it.
TOM: The two mediums are very related. What I did as a fashion designer for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent was to create a character and then costume that character throughout her life.
PETER: Every ad campaign is like a mini-movie.
TOM: As is every fashion show. You're manipulating your audience in a somewhat cinematic way. Both film and fashion are businesses where the audience doesn't feel or see the work that goes on behind the scenes. They're fa‚ade businesses.
PETER: This fall Rizzoli will publish a big book, a retrospective of your whole career at Gucci. In the interview in the book, you characterize yourself as a commercially viable designer. Will that apply to your work as a director as well?
TOM: It will. However, my first goal as a filmmaker is to have something to say. As a fashion designer, I knew what I was about. Recently I've been asking myself, "Why does the world need to see one of my movies? What is my message?" The most important thing is to discover that — otherwise, who cares? It's just fluff.
PETER: It sounds like your transition into film-making is going very well.
TOM: I worry about, consider, and question everything that I'm doing. But when I put my mind to something I can really focus on it.
PETER: That is a quality that helped make you so successful at Gucci. Where do you think your drive and vision come from?
TOM: I think we're born with these things, I really do. Artists, like yourself, are born with a need to express that's just innate. As a fashion designer, I was always aware that I was not an artist, because I was creating something that was made to be sold, marketed, used, and ultimately discarded. True artists — and I do think there are some fashion-designer artists — create because they can't do anything but create. There is no purpose to their work other than expression.
PETER: In your new book you thank your parents.
I wondered if your confidence that you can do whatever you set your mind to came from them.
TOM: Of course it did. At every turn, they said, "You want to be an architect? If that is what you have to do, go do it." If my parents had discouraged me, I would have turned out very differently. They raised me in an open-minded, liberal environment. That had a lot to do with who I am today.
PETER: As the head of Gucci and Saint Laurent, you created images and advertising. You understood how to use the power of mass media. How do you rate the Bush administration's ability to influence and manipulate the media?
TOM: Despite their great success in that area, I still think that George Bush has never learned to speak in public. Surprisingly, it doesn't seem to have handicapped him. I have a very hard time watching the man speak because he gives the impression that he doesn't know what to say when he's unscripted. Even when he is scripted, you feel that he sometimes doesn't understand the words that he's saying. But for some reason the American media seems to be in favor of the Bush administration. When you watch the news in Europe, you get a different take on things. When you watch the news here, it's very watered-down. No one in the U.S. seems willing to slap this administration on the wrist.
PETER: I have the impression that the norm now-adays, for both television and newspaper reporting, is to present both sides of the story, but not to offer insight into which side is presenting the truth. To me, that's a nightmare. But it all takes place against the background of September 11th.
TOM: It does. September 11th was a moment when America had the sympathy of the world. We've absolutely squandered and misused it. There's a certain wag the dog element to this presidency. Most recently this administration has tried to drum up the gay marriage issue to divert attention from all the things that have been going wrong. I was very happy to see that the proposed constitutional amendment was defeated.
PETER: Why do you think that it didn't gain momentum?
TOM: Most everyone now personally knows someone who is openly homosexual. Over the last twenty or thirty years, which in the scheme of things is fast, we've become comfortable as a society with homosexuality. Thanks to all the increased communication that television, film, and the internet have created, even people in small towns in Middle America are exposed to the same things as people in urban areas. That gives me great hope for the future.
PETER: Could that eventually create a more centrist American political climate?
TOM: Yes. And it's not just gay issues. If you live in a small town, or a place where everyone is more or less the same, it's easy to dislike anyone you don't know. But the more information you have, the more comfortable you are with the broad range of human experience, the more you start to see the human side of things.
PETER: You no longer see people who are different from you as the other tribe.
TOM: Right, you just see them as people.
PETER: What are your thoughts on John Kerry?
TOM: I like him a lot. I was on a committee to raise money for him in the U.K. I heard him speak in Los Angeles, and I was very impressed with him. I like the fact that he's been politically active from a very young age — this isn't something that just happened. Let's remember that George Bush is relatively new to the political game. I mean, he owned a baseball team just a few years before he became President. I like the fact that, after Kerry left Vietnam, he came back and led the veterans' opposition to the war. I like that he has experience — four terms in the Senate. I like his platform, which is a fairly traditional Democratic platform.
PETER: Pretty centrist.
TOM: Very centrist. I would actually like to see him take a little bit more of a stand on certain issues. But politics has become such a tricky thing.
PETER: As a keen social observer, what do you think is the key to defeating Bush?
TOM: Have you heard that saying, "When women vote, Democrats win?" We all have to vote. That's the key. I'm hoping and praying that it will be a surprise landslide for Kerry. Wouldn't that be amazing? I have faith that Americans will realize that we need to make a change.
PETER: You're very optimistic about the future of the country and the future of our political system.
TOM: Absolutely. America was founded on the principle of freedom of speech. When we began the war with Iraq, I made a statement that, although I was proud to be an American, I was embarrassed by the actions of our administration. I thought, "Who wants to listen to a fashion designer talking about politics?" But it was picked up by much of the European press.
PETER: That was a brave statement.
TOM: The Bush administration has squelched freedom of speech. If you disagree with them, you're excommunicated. We live in a country of differences, and we should be able to voice those differences.
PETER: Do you have the same sense of shock that I do about how the President lied and misled the public regarding the weapons in Iraq?
TOM: What we have done is pretty shocking. And I'm troubled by the idea of creating a new position to monitor all the intelligence agencies. That job already exists — it's the President's job. Your staff briefs you and you make a decision. The fact that no one wants to take responsibility for the intelligence failures is unbelievable.
PETER: Listening to you speak about your political ideas is quite inspiring. Have you ever thought about entering politics yourself?
TOM: Yeah. But I hate to say it, because people are going to laugh when they read that Tom Ford thinks he might go into politics.
PETER: Well, why not?
TOM: I don't know. We have the Terminator as governor, and we had an actor as president, so why shouldn't we have a fashion designer as a senator? [laughs]
PETER: We already know you're good at running things, based on your record at Gucci.
TOM: If one could just contribute, without having to compromise, it would be great. But I don't think I would have the stomach for the maneuvering that is necessary in politics. I would probably be too honest, say what I really feel, and not play the game. And think of the scrutiny that politicians have to endure. There aren't many strong or charismatic candidates today, because many people can't withstand the scrutiny. The other day I smoked a joint, what am I gonna do?
PETER: That scrutiny is often used as a political neutralizer.
TOM: Absolutely. And this is a new phenomenon. Once upon a time we did not focus on a pres-ident's private life. Kennedy's indiscretions were not an issue. But Bill Clinton was a great president who was marred by something that had nothing to do with his ability to be president.
PETER: You have a big following among young people — who generally don't vote. How would you address someone under thirty, who may not feel that voting makes any difference?
TOM: To my mind, young people should care, and they do care. When the youth of America gets together, amazing things happen. College campuses were once a hotbed of political activity. Students in the '60s were responsible for great changes, politically and socially. The youth movement launched and defined what we've become since the '60s. I would like to see that happen again.

 

[kimair]

Tom Ford Can Get Them Out of Their Clothes Too

Fashion Wire Daily got the scoop on the Vanity Fair photos—commissioned but not published by that magazine—of former fashion megastar (and December Out cover man) Tom Ford. The pics, shot by the late, famed photographer Herb Ritts, feature Ford “on a large couch with two strikingly handsome, naked male models draped across his lap,” according to FWD. Ford seemed to think it was only natural: “You know the way that there is this heterosexual male fantasy of when a man gets rich and successful he surrounds himself with gorgeous women. Well, this was my homosexual version of that. It’s me with my b*tches . And they were great b*tches too. Just a pity that Vanity Fair did not have the nerve to run the shot.”

that shot is in his book...

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

I know - a big two page shot . anyone have the other TF shot i requested - TF in white turtle nexk and white jacket

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

More TF pictures dug deep from google trenches

(whats that in his crotch area ?)

I love this one

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

(anyone seen THIS book?)

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

tOM fORD...I'ma gonna kill you/... as if your book wasnt expensive enough, now i have to shell out 105 dollars on shipping it here . My parents are not thrilled about the cost of the book to begin with now i have to shell out almost 150% of the book cost on the courier

 

[kimair]

tom's next product line for estee lauder...from wwd:

Tom Ford is feeling blue — the blue of the Mediterranean sea, that is — with Azurée, his second collection for the Estée Lauder brand.

"I love that Estée blue," said Ford, of the iconic aqua shade that the brand's founder used in the Sixties and Seventies. Later, Lauder packaging featured rich navy tones. "Also, I really wanted to exaggerate that cartouche [the stylized gold logo that Lauder products carried in the Sixties and Seventies]. I loved that Estée created this mythical place, Azurée, by combining an idea of the Côte d'Azur with her name. It's hysterical and wonderful."

The designer has long been adept at creating modern interpretations of classics, a skill he perfected at the Gucci Group and honed at Estée Lauder —and Azurée follows firmly in that tradition. History, Ford opines, gives a venerable brand a point of difference.

"Sometimes, it's easier for an outsider to come in and see those key things that give you that great brand identity," said Ford in an exclusive telephone interview Wednesday. "In the Nineties, things became transparent, clean and simple. Right now, I think what a lot of us are looking for is authenticity — taking retro things and incorporating them into the brand. It reminds people that the brands have a history."

John Demsey, global president of the Estée Lauder and MAC Cosmetics brands, agreed. "Tom showed us that we should relish and celebrate our heritage," he said.

Lauder introduced the first Azurée, a Mediterranean beach-inspired fragrance, in 1969. Ford's version, due in May, takes the Azurée lifestyle vision that Lauder built and, for the most part, translates it into color cosmetics — although a body oil spray in the Ford lineup can double as a light summer scent. That new creation is built around a tiare milk accord that comprises Tahitian gardenia petals mixed with coconut and orange blossoms.

The original leaned heavily on top notes of fresh citrus and floral, a heart of basil and spearmint and a drydown of oak moss and deep woods.

And Estée herself would like the collection, said Aerin Lauder, senior vice president of global creative directions for Estée Lauder. "It's modern Estée," she said. "It's very us. The heritage makes our classic customers comfortable, and the Ford edge draws in new customers."

In total, there are 25 pieces in the spring collection Ford has created for Lauder. The centerpieces are three color families — Azurée, Cap Bronzée and St. Tropée — each with two lip colors, priced at $22 each; a $28.50 cheek glow, and a $30 eye duo. Azurée is built around peach tones with a splash of coral. Cap Bronzée's color palette is warm tones of sand, while St. Tropée's colors are mauve-based.

In addition to the three color collections, eight additional items will be offered. Six are color products: a white lip color with SPF 15, for $20; Coralée, a $20 lip gloss that can be used with all of the palettes; a black eyeliner, $18.50; a Face Gloss in Bronzée, $28.50; a Face Highlighter in Coquilée, $28.50, and a nail polish of the same shade, $18. The remaining two are the body oil spray, $28.50 for 4 oz., and a body bronzer called Body Tint, $28.50 for 6.7 oz. Lauder's specialty stores — about 250 doors — also will stock five additional items: the white lip color in gold fluted packaging, rather than blue, $35: Sunbronzer, $50; The Face Sheen in Coquilée, $40; Lip Shine in Coralée, $35, and a mirror, $45.

"It's the ultimate beach collection," said Demsey. "This is a fashion collection that is steeped in the jet-set heritage of this brand."

And the shades are designed to be very wearable. "These are colors that look wonderful with a tan," Ford said. "It's a daytime collection, a sun collection that is also meant to look good in your tanned hand on the beach. The tinted moisturizer is almost a throwback to the leg makeup of the Sixties. And bright lips. I love the summer look of a girl without makeup except for a bright pop of lipstick." Another Sixties-inspired touch is a white lipstick. "There's something about putting a little white on your skin that emphasizes the tan and makes you look slightly retro," he said. "I remember pictures of Lauren Hutton with the look in the Seventies."

About 2,100 U.S. department and specialty store doors will get the color collections. National print advertising will break in June fashion, beauty and lifestyle magazines, including Vanity Fair, Vogue and Cosmopolitan, and features Lauder model Carolyn Murphy.

 

[marsmars]

Ouch, if Tom Ford really said that, that's just mean. Elitist. What a biggot.

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

^said what thats so biggoted??

 

[MarryMeTomFord]

Old one but very nice one - from newyorkmetro.com

[SIZE=+1]I[/SIZE]ntrepid New Yorkers have several ways of making the most of summer’s swelter: There’s the day at the beach. There’s the day at the spa. And then there’s the day of climate-controlled, super-luxurious shopping, ducking into the city’s most delicious boutiques (whether to buy or just to ogle). Tom Ford, creative director of the Gucci Group and designer for both Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche and Gucci, knows the impulse well. And just in time for those 90 degree days, he has opened a new Yves Saint Laurent store at 3 East 57th Street. It’s got all those welcoming things one needs: a white-lacquered proscenium arch; an ebony sculptural staircase; white satin walls; plenty of horsehair, mohair, and Mongolian lamb upholstery. Then there are those jewel-like clothes, not to mention a whole room for shoes and a special salon dedicated to YSL Beauté products. Ford welcomed New York to his fabulously massive Mayfair office in London recently to discuss his new project (“It’s designed by Bill Sofield, who I’ve worked with on all the YSL stores—there’s a strong focus on accessories and beauty in this one”), explain his design philosophy, and give his theories on why we’re all about to do some serious shopping. He was as charming as he’s reputed to be and even more handsome than he appears in photographs. As a bonus, he was wearing a navy pinstripe Gucci suit with a stiff-collared white shirt, both of which were unbuttoned to just above his navel.


Q: Since you took the reins at Gucci in 1994, it has become a truly global brand. And you yourself spend a lot of time hopping between the United States and your offices in London, Milan, and Paris. Do you see a difference between the way, for example, a Parisian woman and a New Yorker might wear your clothes?


Ford: They do wear them quite differently. But then you can see and feel the history of each culture being expressed in the way anyone dresses. You can put a Frenchman and an American man in the same outfit, stand them next to each other, and you’ll still see a difference; you’ll see it in the way the Frenchman stands, the way his tie is tied. I’ve been in trouble before for saying that Americans are too perfect in their approach to dressing, but Americans are descended from Puritans, and sometimes that comes through in their style. To have too much style is looked down upon in America, whereas for the French it is something to be celebrated. But things are changing with globalization. You never used to see a Frenchman wearing tennis shoes at night, and now you see it all the time.


Q: Do you think we’ll all be wearing the same thing before long?


Ford: Sure. Good or bad, it’s inevitable. I think we are becoming more and more linked, and before long, we’ll all be one culture. It’s happening in every field, not just fashion. Actually, I think the only hope for peace is if culture is homogenized. Unfortunately, money seems to be the only solution to political disagreements. If we are all linked through culture and trade, it won’t be worth fighting each other.


Q: Has it been hard being an American in Europe, in Paris particularly, because of the war in Iraq?


Ford: Not at all. I am obviously American, but I’ve lived in Europe for years, and I feel very comfortable here. I speak French and Italian. Though I have to say my French is much worse now than it was in the eighties. Now that I’m the boss, everyone speaks to me in English.


Q: Do you like being in charge?


Ford: Yeah. I’m a natural-born boss, I have to say. I just like to be good at things. Even as a child, I was boss of my family.


Q: Are you easy to work for?


Ford: I think so. I’m very direct. I don’t have tantrums. I don’t yell or shout. I do expect an awful lot from my staff, but no more than I expect of myself.



Q: Did you know, growing up, that you wanted to be in a position of authority?


Ford: Probably. I think you make these things happen. You find the things that make you happy. I think also that the older you get, the more you become your true, essential self. You whittle away the parts of yourself that mean less to you.


Q: So life gets easier as you get older?


Ford: For me, it’s better. I’ve never been happier. Though there are nice things about being young.


Q: Like what?


Ford: Well, your skin. Your muscle tone.


Q: Did you always think that fashion was what you were going to do?


Ford: When I was young, I wanted to be a movie star. But I realized that you have no control being an actor. So I went to architecture school in NYC, because I was crazy about buildings. Then I began to realize that I got more excited about Vogue coming out each month than I was about my projects. I also realized that the way I approached architecture was with a somewhat fashion brain. That didn’t get me very good marks in school, because everyone thought fashion was lightweight. In architecture they say, “Well, why is the door pink? Where does it go? What does the pink mean? What does it symbolize? All the other doors are beige, why is that one pink?” I was like, “Well, it’s pink because it’s pretty.”


Q: Do think of yourself as an artist or a businessman?


Ford: I’m a fashion designer. What I do is artistic, but I’m not an artist because everything I do is destined to be sold. That’s not to say that you can’t be an artist and a fashion designer. I think some designers are artists.


Q: Like whom?


Ford: Alexander McQueen. His clothes are designed to be sold, yes, but there is a poetry to his work that is truly artistic.


Q: You’re an art collector, aren’t you? Who do you collect?


Ford: Different people. Warhol, Reinhardt, Calder, Ellsworth Kelly. Sam Taylor-Wood.


Q: I’ve seen photographs of you in front of a series of large female nudes.


Ford: That’s Warhol. I have his male version, too. Penises are harder to hang, though. But in the same room as those Warhol nudes, I have these amazing Ellsworth Kelly paintings of slits. So that room has become a themed room. It’s the vagina room.


Q: What about real vaginas? Did you ever have girlfriends?


Ford: Yes, yes, absolutely. And I liked it and I liked them, but I prefer men. And I’ve been with my partner [Vogue Hommes International editor Richard Buckley] for seventeen years.


Q: Would you like to have kids?


Ford: I’d love to, but Richard is firm about not having them, so, you know, I guess not at the moment.


Q: Do you find that men feel threatened by you?


Ford: I don’t think so. I usually try to seduce them. I suppose I try to seduce everybody.


Q: You are well known for your sex appeal and for selling sex; making sexy clothes. Is sex something you think about consciously when you are designing a collection?


Ford: I suppose everything I do has sexual undertones, but I don’t set out to make everything about sex. My clothes are more about sensuality. What I do is dress and beautify the body. My feeling is, if you have something beautiful, then show it. I don’t start out by saying to myself, What can I do that’s sexy? It’s more that what I find beautiful is also sexy and sensual. That doesn’t mean that I’m necessarily making clothing to go out and pick someone up in.


Q: Is there a particular zone you home in on, in terms of designing clothes for women?
Ford: The hips. Hips are absolutely key to every shape I do, because whatever you do at the top or bottom, you want to keep it slim and narrow on the hips. One thing is for certain: No one, man or woman, wants big hips.


Q: Is there anything a woman should absolutely not wear?


Ford: Yeah. Anything she isn’t comfortable in.


Q: Has New York—and the life you led here during the late seventies, at Studio 54 and all of that—been an important influence in your work?


Ford: I love New York. It’s given me so much as a designer. When I moved here, I wanted to tap into the glamour of the city immediately. More than anywhere else, New York offers itself up—you arrive and get a rush in a flash. It’s dazzling. Everywhere you look, there is decoration, from a pair of jewel-encrusted shoes in the window in Bergdorf Goodman to the Chrysler Building. And New York is incredibly democratic. Everyone is packed into this tiny space. You are confronted with all manner of people, and I love that.


Q: Do you think the kind of carnival energy of Studio 54 will return?


Ford: Oh, sure. Maybe not to New York for a while. Right now, we’re having one of those in-between times of rest and recuperation, but you can’t get too down about it. Soon enough, the time will come when everyone thinks: I’m tired of feeling depressed, I’m tired of not buying anything, and I’m tired of never going out. Let’s throw a party. New York is always changing, and it will change again. But I do think not being able to smoke in a bar is carrying things too far.


Q: Has the recession affected the way you work?


Ford: I think the world around you should always seep into your work. My last show for YSL was full of color and pattern: color, color, color. And I think that was a reaction to what is going on right now; a desire for happiness and life, for excitement and escape. Fashion is, after all, a form of escapism, and in fact people are buying more special things than ever, right now. They deny and deny themselves, and wait and wait, and then they get sick of it and spend to make themselves feel better.


Q: Can you remember the first extravagant piece of clothing you bought?


Ford: It was a pair of white Gucci loafers. I was 13 years old. I had to have them. I drove my mother crazy until she got them for me.


Q: The Gucci man and woman are quite defined now; would you be comfortable handing the reins over to someone else?


Ford: I have no plans to hand over either collection. I don’t want to get into that at all. I’m not going anywhere. I love what I do.


Q: But you recently sold a lot of shares.


Ford: I did, but I sell some shares every few years, so there was nothing unusual in that.
Q: Is the House of Gucci planning on doing any more shopping?


Ford: Not for the moment, no. We’ve got ten amazing brands. That’s enough for now.


Q: What is your relationship with your business partner Domenico De Sole like?


Ford: It’s great. We are similar in that we are both competitive, but very different in terms of our eyes and brains. We had a famous first argument, and we’ve been through a lot together, but Domenico is honest. I would trust him with my life.


Q: What was the argument about?


Ford: It was in a handbag meeting in the factory, in 1994. Domenico interrupted me. I screamed at him and told him he couldn’t ever ever do that to me again. We screamed at each other like crazy. Since then, our roles have been clearly defined, and there haven’t been any more problems.


Q: Is it true you get only three hours of sleep a night?


Ford: Sometimes I sleep even less. I find I can get so much done between midnight and 4 a.m. Everything is quiet, no one is disturbing me, and if I go to bed then, I just lie awake thinking of ideas. They are very creative hours for me. One night a week I crash out, though.


Q: What are you proudest of?


Ford: My personal relationships, and the fact that I’ve been able to maintain them for so long. I’ve had most of my friends since I was 16, 17, 21 years old. And a lot of people have been working for me for twelve, thirteen years. I’m very proud of that.


Q: Do you dance?


Ford: Of course I dance! I went to a party in Milan just the other day where I danced.


Q: Who or what inspires you?


Ford: Life. It sounds corny, but it’s true. People always ask me how I start a collection, and I tell them that I just look around. What am I tired of? What am I in the mood for? Real fashion change comes from real changes in real life. Everything else is just decoration.

 

[Joseph26]

just get this one from vogue news:

TOM FORD apparently isn't too keen to over shower. He told one interviewer that when he and his long term partner, Richard Buckley, "are out riding in Santa Fe, we often go for maybe three days without washing… I like the odour of a man."

that's disgusting, I cant imagine how they smell in those days.