Tom Ford + Paris

Mr. Ford, as I like to call him, has put his stamp on Paris with his new store for men. The three story structure is located in Ville Lumière, where the handsome icon lives when he isn't in New Mexico, California, or New York. Coming soon is a larger store for women, which I'm sure will be another visual feast.

Can You Af-Ford It?

Chanel Iman appears for Wallpaper magazine not only in Tom Ford, but in the style of Tom Ford. How you ask? As only our Lust Icon Tom Ford would want, wreaking of sex appeal.

In an article with Mr. Ford praising the super secrecy surrounding his line every season [exclusive runway shows, no online streams, no online shopping, etc.], "Can You Af-Ford it?" shows his latest women's collection in a fashion spread with Iman following the article. Press is the only way you can see these goods without visiting a Tom Ford store.

Jon Kortajarena for Jean Paul Gaultier

One of the Lust List's first [and favorite] Model Lusts, Jon Kortajarena has been busy working his signature pout for Jean Paul Gaultier.

We all know and love Kortajarena for his acting in Tom Ford's "A Single Man" and his work with Mr. Ford, H&M, Guess?, V Man, etc. But, his new work with Gaultier is the latest bit of lust for our eyes and noses.

Tom Ford's 10 Rules of Style

Who better to give advice on style than Lust Icon Tom Ford? While surveying through old issues of Details magazine I found this article from December 2008. Mr. Ford gives advice on suits, grooming, accessories, and my favorite advice on sexuality I've ever read.

1. I don't believe in playing around much with suit cuts. I like a fairly classic shape that gives a man strong shoulders, a fitted waist, and long legs. Classic simplicity always works.

2. Someone who is secure enough to be very present when relating to another person is sexy. In other words, a good listener always lands who he wants.

3. When mixing patterns, don't think about it too much - just throw it together.

4. I hate the trend of short suit jackets. When a man's butt is showing below the bottom of his jacket, I think it makes him look like a female flight attendant from the back - not my idea of sexy.

5. With jewelry, I acutally like bracelets more than anything else, but they have to be small and simple. Cary Grant always wore a simple gold bracelet and his watch, and I think it was very chic.

6. If you're careful not to overuse Botox, then yes, why shouldn't you use it? A little bit of it between the brows can make you look less stern and more approachable. Who needs to frown, anyway?

7. Just like girls need to learn how to be comfortable in heels before they go out in them for the first time, a man should try wearing a suit throughout a normal day. I do most things in a suit - and sometimes even in a tuxedo - and i'm really comfortable in one.

8. When it comes to grooming, keep earwax out of the ears and keep stray hairs and flakes of skin in check and you should be good to go. In the morning, I put ice cubes on my eyes and use a lot of Visine.

9. Time and silence are the most luxurious things today.

10. There's one indulgence every man should try in his lifetime: If you're straight, sleep with a man at least once, and if you're gay, dont' go through life without sleeping with a woman. Either way, you might be surprised at how natural it will feel if you can get past the mind-fuck of stereotypes. In the end, it's just another person that you are relating to in a physical way.

Video Lust : Tom Ford's SS11 Women's Collection

Another one of my favorite videos with our Lust Icon Tom Ford! Not just for Mr. Ford, but for his genius behind the collection and the presentation.

SS11 was the first collection for Ford's womenswear line. The fashion world was in anticipation to see the glamorous looks that he would unveil. But, rather than a huge production during fashion week like his competitors [if you could call them that], in true rebel style Ford presented the collection by invitation only at a top secret showing. No cameras, or even cell phones, were permitted at the showing. Instead, Ford would debut the collection to the world via this short film, and with photographs from the event by Terry Richardson which were later featured in a French Vogue exclusive.

Of course, Ms. Wintour was front row with models like Karen Elson, Amber Valeta, and Coco Rocha walking the runway with celebrities Beyoncé, Lauren Hutton, Lou Doillon, Daphne Guinness, and the amazing Julianne Moore.

Lust with your eyes below.



Tom Ford Is Missing

The year was 2006 and Tom Ford had been missing from the world of fashion after departing from his position as Creative Director at the Gucci house two years prior. Director Cyril Guyot cast famous models like Elise Crombez, Sharlom Harlow, and Karen Elson to appear in her ultra glamorous short film, "Tom Ford is Missing". A 1920's spin on the Lust Icons whereabouts during his hiatus. Don't ever leave us again Mr. Ford.

Lust with your eyes below, and then channel some 1920's glam with LuStylist!



The Ford Face

The September Issue of Vogue found me in complete lust over Lust Icon Tom Ford once again [does it ever stop though?]. The magazine featured an article on Mr. Ford to promote his entire cosmetics line that debuts this October.

Mr. Ford gives readers his "Ten Commandments of Makeup". I know nothing about makeup, but I learned a lot and more about Mr. Ford. Check them out, shared with us by Vogue writer Plum Sykes.

"1. You Don't Need Any Sleep to Look Radiant - If You Have Tom Ford Traceless Foundation Stick and Finishing Powder on Hand.

The morning I go to meet Ford at his glitzy London HQ, he has had two hours' sleep the night before. He has terrible insomnia. However, in his immaculate black suit, white shirt, and black tie, he looks crisp and fresh. I would like to know his secret, I tell him.

'Powder under the eyes,' he declares authoritatively. 'The only thing making you have bags is the light hitting the high points of the skin. If there is translucent powder under your eyes,' he says - grabbing a gorgeous glossy brown-and-gold compact and looking in the mirror, dusting finishing powder under each eye - 'and you use a little stick foundation, and then powder in moderation, the shadows are gone.'

Model Lust : Max Rogers

The Lust List fans have taken to Twitter to bring some Model Lust material to our attention. I've been a fan of Max Rogers since that warm spring day in 2008 when I saw him on the cover of GQ Style with the headline "This is Max, He is Naked". Rightfully so that the Lust List inducts him into Model Lust fame.

I've used images from Max's spread [no pun intended] in GQ Style. The photographs were accompanied in the issue with an article by Lust Icon Tom Ford. The article was a sort of retaliation against the taboo that is male nudity in the industry. I can't think of a better body of evidence to argue Mr. Ford's case with. Or any other body of evidence with such an amazing head of hair.

Tom Ford + The Talks

What better way to start the new month than with a litte one on one time with Lust Icon Tom Ford? It seems Mr. Ford has revealed the secret to happiness on The Talks.

"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."

Lust with the full article, here.

Tom Ford Federico Sunglasses

Another summer shade to wrap around your pretty face poolside. The Tom Ford "Federico" sunglasses spotted at Saks Fifth Avenue at South Coast Plaza. Acetate retro wayfarer inspired frames with lavish metal T detail at temple [a Tom Ford signature]. Available in grey gradient/transparent grey with grey gradient lens. Also available in beige gradient/transparent light brown with rose gradient lens . Made in Italy. $340.


I'm a big fan of the gradient lens right now, as seen on my sought after Balenciaga's. I've already cracked the frame on those [and repaired them] but, "Federico" might become a standby lover this summer.

Jon Kortajarena for Tom Ford AW11

Model Lust Jon Kortajarena has once again teamed up with Tom Ford for the AW11 campaign. Kortajarena was photographed by Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott in zip up fur, exquisite silks, and velvet tuxedos. His first rendezvous with our Lust Icon Tom Ford was shortly after his acting debut in Ford's film debut, A Single Man and I am so happy to see him at it again. I love me some Kortajarena.

10 Men with Tom Ford

I wanted to share this interview with the always lustable Tom Ford featured in the new 10 Men magazine. Turns out he finds himself extremely unpretentious, craves blood, and is very limber. And no, the Lust List is not his stalker.

FIRST JOB IN FASHION?

"A summer internship in the press department at Chloe in 1984."

WHAT'S NEW?

"Certainly not that question."

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?

"Well, every morning I have a good deal of caffeine. That usually gets me started. That and a wake-up lick from the dogs usually gets me going."

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE TREE?

"Work, work and more work. Staying there is harder. The branches are thinner and more delicate near the top."

FASHION IS...

"Something that can make one dream and elevate our experiences to a new level, but basically it is just clothes."

DO YOU EVER WEAR YOUR OWN DESIGNS?

"I only wear my own designs."

WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

"My life. I keep my eyes open and try to appreciate everything around me. I think that one can find beauty in everything if one is open to readjusting their perceptions and preconceptions."

HOW IMPORTANT ARE HEMLINES?

"Not. What year is this?"

CAN YOU MULTITASK?

"If you mean can I talk on a cellphone while having a meeting and sketching, then no. I am a terrible mirco multitasker but I am a great macro multitasker. I am always working on 20 things at once and I love that, but when I sit down to sketch, I only sketch. I can't talk while I am doing it. I can't be disturbed, and I become so focused that everything else disappears. I don't even allow my staff to call me on my cellphone as I become distracted thinking that they are doing something else while I am talking to them."

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE AS YOUR EPITAPH?

"I don't want an epitaph, or a funeral, or a grave. I would simply like to not be here one day. Disappear. Gone..."

ARE YOU ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR LAST COLLECTION?

"No. I think that if you are good you are good."

ARE YOU/WERE YOU A JUVENILE DELINQUENT?

"I don't know. Does having a lot of sex at 14, getting your girlfriend pregnant twice, being drunk or high most of the time in and out school count? Somehow, though, I managed to get perfect grades, charm my teachers and my hair rivaled Farrah's for shininess."

ARE YOU A SMOKY SOMETHIN'?

"Well, I don't smoke anymore, but I suppose I have a penchant for smoky eyes on most girls..."

DO YOU GET JEALOUS OF OTHER DESIGNERS?

"Never. It is such a difficult business. I admire anyone who can make it and stay there."

DO YOU GET RECOGNISED IN THE STREET? DO YOU HAVE/HAVE YOU EVER HAD A STALKER?

"Yes and yes."

HAVE YOU EVER THROWN A DIVA STROP?

"Only with Richard."

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE WAY MOST PEOPLE DRESS?

"Most people don't dress. I'm not really sure what one should call it..."

WAS THERE A PARTICULAR POINT WHEN YOU STARTED TO GET AMBITIOUS?

"I was always ambitious. It's funny, in Europe that is considered a crass thing, but in America, where I grew up, it is a virtue."

HAVE YOU ALWAYS BEEN ALL ABOUT FASHION?

"I am not now, nor have I ever been, 'all' about fashion."

ARE YOU A LEGEND? LEGENDARY?"Who knows? I don't really think about things like that. I would certainly not be caught dead in a Blackgama mink coat, though..."

DALLAS OR DYNASTY? SUE ELLEN OR ALEXIS?

"Blake."

HAVE YOU EVER LIED IN AN INTERVIEW?"Isn't that what they are for?"

DO YOU HAVE A MENTOR? A MUSE? WHO/WHAT ARE THEY?

"Carine Roitfield, just like the entire fashion industry..."

ARE YOU A BELIEVER IN HEALTHY COMPETITION?
"Absolutely."

WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER LAST NIGHT?"Salmon, steamed spinach, sorbet."

HOW MANY LICKS DOES IT TAKE TO GET TO THE CENTRE OF IT?

"That depends on what you are licking."

CAN YOU WRAP YOUR LEGS AROUND YOUR NECK LIKE JANICE DICKINSON?"Actually, yes."

IF YOU COULD BE A SUPERHERO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU BE AND WHY?

"Is there a superhero that is a vampire? I have always wanted to be a vampire. Actually, I am a bit of a vampire..."

WHAT IS GOOD DESIGN?

"Good design can be different things, depending on what one is designing. I think that good design is when one solves the problem at hand in a thoughtful and functional way."

DO YOU REMEMBER YOUR FIRST DRESS? SHOW?

"I have never worn a dress..."

WHAT'S VULGAR?

"People who have no regard for others."

HAVE YOU EVER BANNED ANYONE FROM YOUR SHOW BECAUSE OF A BAD REVIEW? WOULD YOU?

"No and that depends."

HOW PRETENTIOUS ARE YOU ON A SCALE OF 1-10?

"You will not believe me but I think I am one of the least pretentious people that I know. I would say a three."

Neiman Marcus Level 4

Neiman Marcus is a luxury specialty retailer store based out of Dallas, Texas [which seems to be the headquarters of many Lust List topics]. However, the LA location on Wilshire Blvd is where you'll find Level 4.

What's Level 4 you ask? The best designer finds? The ultimate shopping experience? Well, sort of. Level 4 is the Menswear Level, complete with a Tom Ford store in store, and home to their bar. Yes, a bar. Where hunky bartenders serve up amazing Lobster Mac & Cheese and potent cocktails. There's no better place to escape from all the LA chaos and watch glamorous socialites sip martinis wearing Cartier Panther Rings. I love LA.

Lust Icon : Tom Ford

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

Scum Bag : A Man Among Men

I've vowed to start my own library of art and photography books this year. My Tom Ford and Mario Testino books are a great start, and Cameron Dailey's latest book, or magazine, Scum Bag : A Man Among Men is the perfect addition to the shelf.

A collaboration between Scum Bag Magazine and photographer Greg Endries, the issue consists of thirty men all representing a part of our ideal. The interactive format of the issue allows the reader to mix and match bodies, heads, and facial features, and hopefully get them one step closer to finding the man of their dreams. 64 pages, spiral bound, 8 1/2 x 11. Black and white interior pages printed on heavy stock paper pre-cut into thirds, with full color front and back covers.

I didn't realize how lucky I was to get my hands on it until I found out it's a limited series of only 500. You can check out amazon.com to see if you can get your hands on one as well. Good luck!

Model Lust : Jon Kortajarena

Maybe I was sleeping on Jon Kortajarena, since he has been modeling for major fashion campaigns since 2004, but I never took notice of him until he played the street hustler Carlos in Tom Ford's A Single Man. Yes, another Spanish male model on the Model Lust list. I think I'm just a sucker for passion, which obviously exudes from his piercing stare, out of control hair, signature pout, and chiseled cheek bones.

A native of Bilboa, Spain, his mother is a hairdresser who still manages his signature locks [hey! just like me!]. He was discovered by a modeling agent when he attended a fashion show with a friend on vacation in Barcelona. He was only a minor at the time, and had to convince his parents to let him venture off to Paris to begin his now successful career. He has worked with numerous campaigns and designers including Versace, Etro, Diesel, Guess, and Tom Ford, to name a few. In 2009, Forbes magazine ranked him number eight in the World's Ten Most Successful Male Models.

Most recently, you can catch him in ads for David Yurman, and occasionally you can catch him in spreads with Andres Velencoso, a close personal friend, and my first Model Lust subject.

"For me, it's more about seduction than just a pretty face." - Jon Kortajarena [and I couldn't agree more]

Film : 'A Single Man'

A Single Man, based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood, is the directorial debut of designer Tom Ford starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hault, and Jon Kortajarena. The film chronicles the final day of a Los Angeles based professor in the early 1960's as he prepares to commit suicide in an attempt to end his grief over the loss of his lover of sixteen years. It was filmed in only twenty-one days, financed completely by Mr. Ford, and is nothing short of amazing.

I knew it would be love at first sight for me simply because it's a project of the amazing Tom Ford, but there are so many other aspects of the film that make it lust worthy. Julianne Moore is stunning in the film, as she often is, and the sets, costumes, and film effects are perfection.

Which is no surprise given that Tom Ford himself has confessed that he is a perfectionist. But, there are so many amazing details in the film that you would never notice if you didn't know the history of the story and Mr. Ford. There are cameos by Don Bachardy [the long-time partner of Christopher Isherwood] and Richard Buckley [the current-time lover of Tom Ford]. Even the suits that Colin Firth's character, George, wears in the film had a label stitched inside with his name and the date it was "made" for him, 1957.

Tom Ford Ace Sunglasses

I definitely have a fetish for sunglasses, and an even bigger fetish for luxury sunglasses. Tragically, the ones that I search high and low for and cherish, I end up either losing [my Valentino's that are now buried treasure at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean] or breaking [the Gucci's that I waited six months for].

Luckily, these have proven to be easily accessible at Saks Fifth Avenue, which gives me hope they'll last while in my possession. Tom Ford can do no wrong in my book, as evident with this summers "Ace". The bigger the better, and better than bigger is the smoke gradient lenses. I'm picturing these poolside in Vegas this summer already.