Tom's New Spread in W
"When sex goes out of business, so do we."
A bon mot of brilliance delivered back when by Estée Lauder, one her son Leonard Lauder takes considerable delight in repeating.
Assuming the beauty doyenne was correct, these should be heady times for the house she founded. This month will see the first fruits of Lauder's curious marriage with Tom Ford, the man for whom sex and style are virtually synonymous. "We've always tried to position ourselves where we're selling something that's really sexy," says Leonard Lauder, the company chairman. "That's the cornerstone of Estée Lauder."
Ford's own line, to include a fragrance and makeup, is slated to debut next fall. In the meantime, Lauder engaged him to create two limited-edition collections. "Tom Ford was the combustion that drove the entire Nineties," says John Demsey, president of Estée Lauder. "The glamour, the excitement and the product not only inspired people to love Gucci, but fueled an amazing moment in fashion around the world. He has the ability and the sensibility to do the same in beauty."
Ford will divulge little about his own launch, except that he has developed a fragrance and that it has a name. He is not, however, someone who works spontaneously. Rather, he built his success on careful analysis of the cultural winds and savvy anticipation of what's next. This photo portfolio depicts his view of a society dehumanized by the quest for physical perfection, for which the beauty world bears considerable responsibility.
"We've become plastic, objectifying the human body…waxed and polished and buffed and shined up and manipulated," Ford says. "And then, of course, I'm portrayed as the one doing the manipulating, the polishing, buffing, shaping, which is what I do. It's just what we do. What the fashion industry does."
Brassy stuff from a guy about to launch his own line. Of course, provocation goes to the core of Ford's style. "Forbidden" by Bridget Foley and Jane Larkworthy has been edited for Style.com; the complete story appears in the November 2005 issue of W.
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