Meet the man once dubbed "the epitome of sexiness", Mr. Tom Ford.
Thomas Carlyle Ford is an American Fashion Designer and Film Director born and raised in the great state of Texas. At only 16 years old, he moved to New York City to study art history at New York University and pursue a career in acting. His acting was limited to television commercials, but still successful as he appeared in twelve national advertising campaigns simultaneously.
However, we all know a man of this genius gets bored easily. So, he moved on from art history and began to study interior architecture. This lust for interiors is probably what kept him inside the legendary Studio 54. He became a fixture of the social scene at a young age, and it was at Studio 54 that Ford is said to have discovered his sexuality. Social contacts always pay off and he eventually spent a year and a half in Paris where he worked as an intern for Chloe.
Ford's experience at Chloe ignited his lust for fashion. He may have had a lack of experience in the industry, but he definitely knew a thing or two about persistence. He set his sights on American designer Cathy Hardwick and called her every day for a month with hopes to fill a position at her mid price sportswear company.
"I had every intention of giving him no hope. I asked him who his favorite European designers were. He said, 'Armani and Chanel.' Months later I asked him why he said that, and he said, 'Because you were wearing something Armani'. Is it any wonder he got the job?" - Cathy Hardwick
In 1988, Ford left Cathy Hardwick and went to Perry Ellis where he worked with Robert McDonalds and Marc Jacobs. After two years, he began looking for the next opportunity and returned to Europe. He is said to have grown tired of working in American fashion at this point in his life. "If I was ever going to become a good designer, I had to leave America. My own culture was inhibiting me. Too much style in America is tacky. It's looked down upon to be too stylish. Europeans, however, appreciate style."
This appreciation of European style put Ford in the perfect position to join Gucci. Gucci was, at the time, a faltering luxury goods company seeking to strengthen its women's ready-to-wear presence as a part of its brand overhaul. He took no prisoners doing just that. Hired in 1990 as the brand's chief women's read-to-wear designer, his role at Gucci rapidly expanded. He was designing menswear within six months, and shoes soon after that. When Richard Lambertson left as design director in 1992, he took over his position, heading the brand's ready-to-wear, fragrances, image, advertising, and store design. In 1994, when he was in charge of designing eleven product lines, he was working eighteen-hour days and still managed to take on a promotion as creative director for Gucci.
In Ford's first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the glamour back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts, and car-finish metallic patent boots. Between 1995 and 1996, sales at Gucci increased by 90%. If that wasn't enough work for him, Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint Laurent and he was named the creative director of that label as well. During his time as creative director for YSL, he won numerous Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards.
On the strength of Ford’s collections, Gucci went public in October 1995 with an IPO of $22 per share, followed by an additional global offering in March 1996 at $48 per share and a third offering in 1999 at $75 per share. I can't tell you what all that means besides success. By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion. He eventually left in 2004, when the Gucci Group was valued at an impressive $10 billion.
In April 2005, Ford announced he would launch the Tom Ford brand and shortly after opened his first directly owned flaghip store in New York City at 845 Madison Avenue. That lust for opportunities was still alive and he soon found himself adding yet another title to his legendary career, Film Director.
It is definitely in Ford's nature that everything he does is exquisite and revolutionary, so you can expect nothing less from his debut film, A Single Man. He established a film production company, Fade to Black, and was also a producer on the film that led to two nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards in 2009 including Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay.
The awards and nominations for his fashion are almost endless. Tom Ford is not only a Lust Icon for his acheivements in fashion and design, but for his character, his presence, and his charm. The man is 49 years old and has never looked better. He leads a disciplined lifestyle with incredible ambition and a willingness to take risks in whatever he does. A sort of luxurious rebel who calls LA his "American city".
Probably my favorite characteristic of Ford's work, is the sex appeal. Done in a tasteful way that still manages to be shocking, his work is sexually iconic and he is very frank about our desires and the fact that we are drawn to this imagery. As they say, sex sells. God, I hope I don't cry when I meet him.
"Sex is just second nature with me. It’s not like an obsession or anything" - Tom Ford
