Tom Ford just launched his eponymous beauty line in November of last year, but it’s already garnered a hardcore devoted following. For spring, he’s launching his first seasonal, limited-edition collection, dominated by metallics and inspired by a radiant, bronzed face. “I have always loved the look of tanned, glowing skin, whether it is achieved with bronzing powder or with a natural tan,” Ford explains.
Products include four new nail polishes (in shades like Silver Smoke, Gold Haze, and Burnt Topaz) and a new lip gloss (in Gold Dust). It also introduces two firsts for Tom Ford Beauty: a bronzing powder (in Terra or Gold Dust) and four cream eyeshadows (in metallic shades like Platinum, Golden Guilt, Burnished Red Illicit, and Shimmering Spice).
The collection is due in stores in April, and some select items are available for pre-order at Saks.
Leave it to Oprah to snag a captivating interview with the most notoriously press-shy of couturiers. After months of anticipation, Tom Ford: Visionaries is set to air on OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network) on October 23. A fascinating journey into the celebrated designer-slash-director's creative process, the documentary follows Ford through fittings for his stunning RTW collection, explores his motivation for directing A Single Man, and captures never-before-seen moments from his top-secret Spring 2011 runway presentation. Ford-philes will love this intimate look at the designer's day-to-day life; who knew the man who single-handedly reinvented Gucci got his start acting at NYU and takes upwards of three daily baths?
Elana Fishman got the opportunity to screen the doc in advance, and couldn't turn down the opportunity to ask director Michael Bonfiglio a few questions about how Visionaries came together.
What initially drew you and your OWN colleagues to Tom Ford as a subject for this series? Tom Ford embodies the idea of what a creative visionary is. His taste and his creations, from his clothing to his filmmaking, is so specific and beautiful. He knows precisely what he wants, and when you see something he has created, it's unmistakably his.
When did you begin filming, and how long did the project take from start to finish? Our first day of filming was September 12, 2010, at the debut of his Spring 2011 womenswear collection, and our last was in late February of this year, at the opening of his Los Angeles store. We started editing in December and completed the documentary in late spring of this year.
What were your initial impressions of Ford when you began taping? He seemed extremely cool and calm for someone who was about to make a massive comeback to women's fashion. I first met him the night before the reveal of his Spring 2011 collection. As I watched him making the final preparations for the event, I was struck by how precise he was in his directions to his crew — he knew exactly how he wanted everything to be, and how to execute it. But I was even more impressed by the politeness with which he treated everyone who was working the event, from top to bottom. I had expected it to be a chaotic scene, as they basically had 24 hours to convert his Madison Avenue store into a fashion show venue, but instead it was very civilized and controlled. And Tom really seemed to be setting that tone.
Did you have any concerns at the beginning? My main concern in starting the project was my own ignorance of fashion. I am not a part of that world at all, and I really had to do a great deal of homework before I was able to interview Tom. I had seen his film A Single Man, and although I really didn't know much about fashion, the depth and spirituality of that movie gave me the confidence that I could connect with him in some way that would move the piece beyond just a show about his fashion work. I hope the documentary will appeal to the fashion-loving audience, but I also think that Tom is such a fascinating and complex individual that it speaks to people on a very human level.
Throughout the doc, Ford speaks of being a strict perfectionist — yet the film exposes him as a truly warm, calming presence. Was there one side of his personality that emerged particularly strongly over the course of filming? Off-camera, Tom was the same warm and calm person that he appears to be on-camera. He struck me as a perfectionist in the sense that he knows exactly what he wants, but in relaying his ideas to people, I never saw him do it in a demanding way. He's just very specific about what he likes and doesn't like — and if it has his name on it, it has to be right. He didn't seem to go around changing things just for the sake of changing them — he came across as very precise and purposeful.
Ford's spring 2011 presentation was a top-secret affair. What was it like to gain access? Funnily enough, I don't think I realized just how exclusive the event was until after we got there. But it was such a good time. We were flies on the wall at the most exciting fashion event of the season, and we had the run of the place! The vibe was completely celebratory and fun, which I think was exactly what Tom was going for. Instead of just hiring models to show the clothes, he enlisted his friends (who happen to be some of the most beautiful and glamorous women in the world), which really seemed to set the stage for what he wanted the evening to be. During the rehearsals, he kept telling them, "Just have fun!" And despite the fact that every tiny detail had been attended to, the overall feeling was one of, "Let's put on a show!" Everyone who was there had a ball, and my crew and I were no exception.
Finally, can you share any fun, memorable stories from the set that didn't make it into the final cut? I think the most memorable thing, actually, was when I finally showed Tom a rough cut of the film. I flew to Los Angeles to show it to him, and I was very nervous. Given how particular he is about his work — and especially because he's a filmmaker — I was anticipating leaving the screening with ten pages of notes about things he wanted changed. We screened it at a hotel, and he brought one of his colleagues to watch it with us. I sat a little bit behind him, so I could see his reactions as he watched — and about 10 minutes in, I could tell he was pleased. When it was over, he had a big smile on his face, told me he loved it, and essentially had no notes — aesthetic or otherwise. And his colleague told me that one particular sequence had literally brought her to tears. I'm so excited that people are finally going to get to see it!
Tune into OWN on October 23 at 8 pm EST to catch Tom Ford's episode of Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind. You won't be disappointed.
“I am finishing up the colors for my fall 2012 cosmetics collection this week. It is actually a great deal of fun as we sit in a studio and mix raw pigments until we get the right shades, try them on girls with different skin tones and then edit the collection into a color palette that I feel will be the right direction for fall 2012. From there the factories and our research department take our raw pigment blends and then turn them into real products which we will then test again and create the actual looks that will form the collection. My first collection for this fall [2011] arrives in stores in the US and Europe in October. I name all of the colors myself and someone just asked me what my two favorite names of colors that I had designed where. One is a great red lip color called “Lost Cherry” and the other is a dark nail polish called “Bitter Bitch”. Naming colors is always fun and great names can really help certain colors catch on…”
The new Tom Ford beauty range, set for release prior to 2012, will see women offered a new range of make up products that evoke a romanticized interpretation of the 1970s. And it’s a very large offering, one that will initially include the following and has already been earmarked for expansion;
10 eye colour quads retailing at €75
shadows to be offered in palettes of 4 colours; no single or duo packets will be available
a refresh for the Tom ford lipstick line with the packaging redesigned, some colours discontinued and new ones added
6 shades of cheek colour, set to retail for €55
the lipstick offering will also be expanded to include 10 shades of Ultra Shine Lip Gloss, as well as a Lip Lacquer for sealing the lipsticks. The lip gloss will sell for €30
16 shades of nail polish
foundation, as well as 10 foundation sticks. The Tom Ford foundation sticks will sell for €70.
Not content with making us green with envy over her covetable couture-packed wardrobe, now Daphne Guinness has us talking as much about what she looks like without clothes in addition to normal “wow, look at what she is wearing” chatter.
The first promo images for the couture queen’s exhibition at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, shot by Nick Knight, have emerged online, and we are awestruck. The model, muse, artist and designer will showcase 100 garments and accessories from her extensive personal collection, though the fashion icon – who Tom Ford has described as “one of the most stylish living women”, appears sans couture – and what a body she has been hiding under those one-of-a-kind-creations.
In her trademark heel-less platforms, monochrome bee-hive and bejewelled glove she co-designed with Shaun Leane, even without clothes Daphne is the epitome of high-fashion. How Daphne!
Daphne Guinness at The Museum at FIT opens on 16 September 2011 and runs until January 7 2012. Visit fitnyc.
Next month, Daphne Guinness is giving the world a peek inside her closet of enviable clothing. She has picked 24 McQueen pieces, along with over 100 pieces including Tom Ford, Chanel, Nina Ricci, Valentino, Gareth Pugh, and Alaïa, to go on display at New York’s FIT museum starting on September 16.
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