Designer Tom Ford is a true
heavyweight in the fashion world. Recently named creative director at
Yves Saint Laurent, he continues to fulfill the same role at Gucci.
In fact, it’s thanks to his incredible success at Gucci that he was
tapped for the position. In the past five years, the glamour that earned
Gucci such fans as Audrey Hepburn and Jackie Kennedy back in the 60s
has not only been revived but surpassed. As a creative director, Tom
Ford has a knack for taking risks that leave the investors trembling
in their snaffle loafers – and getting it right every time. He easily
steered the transition from the sleek clothing and ad campaign that
gave ice cool minimalism a whole new meaning two years ago to the electrifyingly
bold floral designs and feathered jeans that set off the hippie-chic
fever of summer 1999. For Autumn/Winter 2000 - 2001, Ford has created
a collection of biker chic, sparked with ruffled cocktail dresses, gold
leather, lurex, and crystal-encrusted jersey. Ford is at the cutting
edge of millennial hip, with an explosive combination of 'white trash'
and urban sophistication.
A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ford believes his inordinate sense
of good taste comes from his mother, a flamboyant Southern belle. Fashion
became more than just an interest when he was part of the now cult Studio
54 scene in New York. After a brief stint acting in commercials, he
went on to enroll at the Parsons School of Design where he studied interior
and fashion design. Positions as design director at Perry Ellis Women's
America Division and senior designer at Cathy Hardwick followed. In
1990, Ford joined Gucci and four years later was promoted to creative
director. In his first year Gucci's savy profits soar and Ford was dubbed
a genius. In 1997, he told People magazine, that, "In the fashion business,
everything is so temporary. Beautiful for three or four months and then
you're tired of it." Ford's style and appreciation of luxury however,
have ensured that his designs become instant classics.
While overseeing men’s and womens' wear, he keeps a close eye on the
brand’s shoes, watches, perfume and luggage lines, as well as ad campaigns.
As for himself, Ford keeps his ice-cool sophistication in head-to-toe
black Gucci and recently told ELLE UK, "I'm very self-conscious…which
is probably one of the reasons why I'm so sympathetic to clothes - I
know how clothes can make you feel really great or not so great."
Today, Ford divides his time in true jet-setter style between Milan,
London, Santa Fe and Paris, where his terrier John resides…complete
with his own Gucci dog basket and collar, of course.
