August 27th, 1961– Tom Ford:
“I don’t think of myself as gay. That doesn’t mean that I’m not gay. I just don’t define myself by my sexuality.”
Not only am I inspired by people who along with tremendous talent, are also able to “brand” themselves. I want to follow in their footsteps. I have written about Martha Stewart, Andy Warhol & Keith Haring, all masters at the art.
I would like to have my own line of products: nipple clamps made from re-purposed office supplies, cocktail mixers, & a magazine Post Apocalyptic Bohemian Lifestyle. There would be a STEVE! TV network, which would only show films & series re-runs that I appear in, that I love, or that feature: Steve Allen, Steve Buscemi, Steve Reeves, Steve Carell, or Steve McQueen. I want my own fragrance Stephen Touché Douche: with notes of nutmeg, whiskey, dirt, & a just hint of desperation.
Thomas Carlyle Ford has not only made himself a part of his own product, he is his own muse. Each time I have come upon a print ad for Tom Ford, a man who has the right stuff & designs beautiful clothing; I have earmarked the magazine ad & said to The Husband:
“Wow, can you believe how beautiful he is? Plus, the clothing & accessories are gifts from a genius”.
The Husband concurs. Ford:
“I think I detach the physical from the spiritual. It’s my business to make a woman or a man beautiful, & I’m working with a model in a fitting, & I’ve objectified them to the point that they become an object.”
“They’re something that I’m modeling or shaping or sculpting, but I’m very aware that even though I make them physically beautiful, their soul & personality & character is somewhat detached from that. It’s great when you have a combination of the two. That’s what makes a true beauty. Some people are physically beautiful but yet they’re completely uninteresting, & thus they’re not beautiful. I detach the two. That’s why I think gay men make better designers.”
I would be very pleased to be snowed-in at a mountain cabin for a few days with Ford. I would try my best to leave him inspired. He is Daniel Craig‘s designer of choice, & that is all the endorsement I need.
Ford moved from Austin to NYC to study interior architecture at Parsons’ at The New School For Design. During that era, Ford was known to hang out at the legendary Studio 54. The club’s disco-era glamour would be a major influence on his designs.
Ford lived in Paris in the mid-1980s, where he worked as an intern at Chloé. The job involved sending clothes out on photo shoots, which began his love of fashion. He spent his final year at Parsons’ studying fashion, but still graduated with a degree in architecture.
In the 1990s, Ford for worked as creative director of Gucci, turning around the venerable house from bankruptcy to huge profits. He then acquired the house of Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) in 1999, again, serving as creative director. He left in 2004 to start his own company with a line of women’s & menswear, eyewear, & accessories.
This year, Ford was named one of GQ‘s 50 Best Dressed Men & CFDA Fashion Award for Menswear Designer Of The Year. His designs for men & women are classic, deceptively simple, sophisticated & above all, sexual seductive.
I am in love with Tom Ford, but alas, he has been with journalist Richard Buckley, 14 years his senior, for 32 years, married in 2014. Ford was just 25 years old when they met. He claims it was “love at first sight” & that in that moment, he decided he would marry Buckley, who was 38 years old, “in the length of an elevator ride.”
At least he is into a daddies. Buckley is the former Editor In Chief at Vogue Hommes International. He was diagnosed with that damn cancer in 1989 & was not really expected to make it. After his recovery the couple moved from NYC to Italy with their toddler, Alexander. Ford:
“I went to a fashion show & this silver-haired guy was staring at me with these piercing water-blue eyes. It scared me because I absolutely saw & knew my entire future. You can look at someone & feel like you’ve known them forever. That first night, I had drinks with Richard, & I felt I knew everything about him.”
Sitting in the luxurious infusion suite at the Oncologist clinic, I passed up the 24 year old copy of Field & Stream for a 2013 Interview magazine with Ford. I was gobsmacked to learn this tid-bit:
“When I come home… I wear no clothes until I leave. I eat naked. I do everything completely naked.”
The 3 Ford-Buckleys share their lives with 2 smooth fox terriers. Their first dog, John, lived 14 years with the couple & appeared on the runway & in photo shoots. Currently, they have Angus & India, who are 9 & 6 years old. These terriers appeared in Ford’s brilliant, heartbreaking film A Single Man, based on a novel by yesterday’s #BornThisDay subject, Christopher Isherwood. It was, for me, a masterful directorial debut & a stunning film.
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