The Not So Into Ladies, Ladies’ Man: Tom Ford

Trekking across Manhattan in a sea of slush is far from anyone’s ideal morning commute. Fortunately for me, the latest Interview magazine arrived on stands today with the world’s most polished, manicured and eye-tantalizing man of our time: Tom Ford. Master of world class fashion, a pro-craftsman whether behind or in front of the lens, he is fashion’s leading male sophisticate. His return to womenswear is no longer a secret after having had a very private, not to mention elite, showing to colleagues, chosen editors and personal celebrity clientele - his time back has never been more welcomed. It was without a doubt the most talked about “hush-hush” show of recent years. 

The ‘Single Man’ director had expressed how his decision to head back into couture is because he needed another story to tell. “I decided I would never go back to fashion until I had something new to say, until I could have fun creating fashion again. It had become really formulaic,” he tells Interview. Expressing how his foray into Hollywood was far from surprisingly as many have led on, he is currently developing his second screenplay. What makes Ford so special and such a stand-alone force of nature is his desire to strip away fashion’s overly-materialistic image. “As an adult working in the fashion industry,” he states (in his smoky sexy voice I imagine) “I struggle with materialism. And I’m one of the least materialistic people that exist, because material possessions don’t mean much to me. They’re beautiful, I enjoy them, they can enhance your life to a certain degree, but they’re ultimately not important.” He furthers his point with how “your connections with other people are important, our connection to the earth…and what I find to be the most beautiful thing in the world now is nature.” Cutting to the chase is something I have personally found admirable in people, he isn’t afraid to address him homosexuality or his reasoning behind his decisions. Why apologize? With such a gift to create and connect with his audiences through a very fluid vision, it’s clear his next film project will take off where his last left off. 

His homosexuality is something he has never hidden, having had first hand creative liberties in his advertising it’s even clearer that he is possibly one of the most sexually confident men in our mainstream culture. Being American, it’s very clear that we live in a highly republican, uptight society where religious morals come into play and opinions over the family dinner table can go awry - what you did at school today turns into politics and horrible days at work to how short your daughter’s skirt was on that one date. His vision is clearly stirring a conservative pot here and there, but what’s admirable is that he doesn’t apologize for it - nor should he have to. Ford makes it clear that his visions are never calculated, especially in his womenswear designs. “When I’m making an image of a woman, or dressing a woman - I have a reputation for sex and making a woman sexy, and men as well - but I don’t start out saying, ‘Oh, I’m gonna make this woman look sexy or sexual,” he clarifies. His visions are purely based off of his emotions, which could be viewed as conceptual suicide or genius - in his case, it’s always the latter. “What can I do to make her more beautiful in my eyes?” his a common question he asks himself. He is the master of beautifying men and women, hence why his selected bundle of voluptuous Hollywood muses (Julianne Moore, Beyonce Knowles, Lauren Hutton to name a few) keep coming back for more. Tom Ford keeps your eyes peeled, your lips freshly bit and your eager palms a bit sweaty from anticipation; look out for his collection this Spring 2011. 

Interview Magazine’s February 2011 Issue is on stands now.