What Do You Know About the Man in the Suit?

Originally written for my WRIT 340 class, it has now been adapted for my blog. One of my favorite pieces I have written that I needed to share.

Steve Jobs had his famous black turtleneck, dad jeans, and sneakers. Mark Zuckerberg wears his gray shirts and jeans. Both seem casual and simple enough to wear for a long duration of time, but how about a suit as a signature outfit? No matter where you are, even if you are hopping on an international flight? Well that’s Tom Ford’s signature look.

I’m sure some people’s first thought when seeing him is, “How uncomfortable!” However, he looks put together at LAX, which is such a rare sight to see in our city’s main airport. Los Angeles is known for its more laid-back style and even more laid-back when it comes to dressing for flights. It is common to see sweats, hoodies, and to my horror, UGGs. But bless Ford and his impeccable style. At least someone is putting some effort into what they are wearing.

To Jobs’ and Zuckerberg’s credit though, they chose those particular outfits out of convenience and not wanting to think about another decision while running their companies. Ford’s reasoning is different. He argues that “a suit is an armor” and makes him feel grounded (Lewis 2016). On the contrary, knitwear or other soft materials makes him feel “weak and mushy” (Lewis 2016). Even on movie sets when he was directing his films, the suit was his uniform. The exception was when they were filming Nocturnal Animals in Texas, he was wearing a denim on denim attire with cowboy boots and hat.

L to R: Tom Ford, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon | Source: GQ — L to R: Tom Ford, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Michael Shannon | Source: GQ

You might have heard of the famous fashion designer after Jay Z wrote a song dedicated to him called “Tom Ford.” Maybe you already know him from his provocative and sexy advertisements sprawled across magazines and billboards. Or you may have seen his two highly acclaimed films, A Single Manand Nocturnal Animals, for which he was the producer, screenwriter, and director. It had been unheard of for a fashion designer not only to venture into directing films, but also to excel in them until Ford became the first to do so.

The 56-year-old is well respected for his style, brilliance, and honesty. His company makes about $1 billion a year, with Ford holding the majority shares (Galloway, 2016). As glamorous as his current life is, Ford had humble Texan beginnings. He grew up in Austin with his parents and sister in the 1960s, until the family moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico when he was eleven. Since he was young, he knew there was something different about himself compared to his peers as they went about and played sports. With his scrawny frame, Ford was an outsider to sports. Fashion already piqued his interest. In second grade, he went to school in a blazer and loafers and decided to forgo the traditional backpack for an attaché case. This led to endless bullying from his peers. Luckily his parents supported and loved him no matter what (Petit, 2016).

It was not until puberty struck when things turned around as Ford recalled in his interview with Stephen Galloway of The Hollywood Reporter (2016). He got taller and his striking looks started to set in. Girls and teachers started crushing on him. When it was time to go to college, Ford picked NYU, before transferring to the Parsons School of Design, as he was attracted to the glamour and hope the city offered. He envisioned himself becoming a movie star and started some acting and modeling. However, doing those gigs made him realize how self-conscious and shy he was when in front of the camera, something that is still true today (Galloway, 2016).

This experimentation led to a career shift into fashion design, starting with an internship at Chloe in Paris. He worked for other designers after that, such as Cathy Hardwick and Perry Ellis, but ultimately felt his future lay in Europe. In 1990, Ford and his long-term partner Richard Buckley made the fateful move to Milan so Ford could work for Gucci (Galloway, 2016).

Before Ford joined Gucci, the company was known for leather goods and less known for their bland ready-to-wear. Bankruptcy was on the horizon as people started getting fired and other turmoil rocked the company. Ford stayed on through this, which turned out to be the best choice he ever made. In 1994, he was appointed Creative Director of Gucci, as the previous designer Dawn Mello left for Bergdorf Goodman (Horyn, 2015).

In preparation for his first collection for fall 1995, Ford used the failures he had witnessed the company go through as his drive. Considering his and the company’s current position, he believed he had nothing to lose. He looked through Gucci’s archived photos for inspiration and noticed how they focused on major movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor or Grace Kelly wearing scarves or carrying their bags.

Noticing this, Ford decided to tap into the glamour of the celebrity rather than exclusively on what they wore. Another intuition he had was his wager that people wanted to feel sexy again in contrast to the minimalist trend that had been going on for several seasons. The exceptions were Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, who leaned more towards the romantic style, but their businesses were still relatively small then (Horyn, 2015).

Ford’s vision for Gucci oozed the sex appeal he was vying for. Think provocative cut-outs, sleek suits, and hip-hugging trousers for men and women. All the hottest celebrities at the time were dressing like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow. This vision was reflected on and off the runway as it was propelled by the ads. The most provocative and memorable one was having the Gucci logo shaved into a female model’s pubic hair. Even though many people were against using the idea that sex sells, it worked significantly well for boosting sales and Ford’s reputation. The first nine months after his collection, the company revenues were up $342 million (Horyn, 2015). By 1999, the company was valued at more than $4 billion (Amed, 2013).

The suits he designs for men though are flawless and deserves the praise. They do start at $5000 off the rack and go higher if it’s a made-to-measure as Ford points out (Foley & Palmieri, 2018). Why would anyone be willing to spend that much on a suit? It is all about customization and letting the client be a part of the process of choosing the fabric, cut, lining, shape, size, and buttons. Ford argues that “A luxury customer does not need anything—they have everything. So it’s an emotional purchase” (Foley & Palmieri, 2018).

Coincidentally, I went to the Gucci store on the Rodeo Drive recently and the salesperson who helped me, Christian, told me he got a custom Tom Ford suit for the wedding rehearsal dinner. “Man, I felt like a million bucks! I felt like a different person when I slipped on my suit,” he said as his face glowed with excitement. “Everything about it was just so perfect. To date, it is one of the best suits I own” (C. Aguirre, personal communication, April 3, 2018). It is truly magical how well-made clothing can change how a person feels completely and how people perceive the person as well. I guess the $5000+ suit was definitely worth it for Christian.

Yves Saint Laurent under Ford | Source: Fashionista

As if designing for Gucci was not enough, Ford was appointed as the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent in 1999 after the Gucci Company acquired the iconic luxury brand. This meant that Ford designed 16 collections every year with his role at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent as Ira Solomatina of Sleekpoints out (2016). Yves Saint Laurent, the designer, criticized Ford saying, “The poor man does what he does.” Nonetheless, similar to what he did at Gucci, Ford was able to revitalize an old luxury brand and make it mainstream (Solomatina, 2016).

Ford’s brilliance and charisma masked the inner demons he was battling with depression, alcoholism, drugs, and smoking. It almost sounds cliché, an artist and his multiple vices. Things took a turn for the worse in 2004, when the fashion conglomerate Kering bought out the Gucci Group. Kering refused to give Ford the same independence he had prior to the acquisition, resulting in the resignation of Ford and his business partner, Domenico De Sole Solo, after 14 years with the brand. Part of Ford’s resignation deal was he would get $100 million in stock options. Using this money, he pursued his love for movies and dived into the entertainment world (Galloway, 2016).

If you think about it, it made sense for Ford to shift his focus to filmmaking. He did want to become a movie star when he first started. There is almost something romantic about Hollywood that is enticing. As a designer, he turned towards movies as his source of inspiration when it came to designing collections. Galloway points out that the bad breakup between him and Gucci led him to make a vow of being done with fashion business forever (2016). He set up his own production company, Fade to Black, and started immediately looking for scripts and potential investors. Alas, it turned out harder than it looked, leading Ford to have second thoughts.

The vow he took was quickly broken. It was announced in 2005 that Ford had two licensing deals, one for eyewear and the other for beauty. From a business standpoint, it was a smart move as it helped keep his name relevant without investing too much money. These two categories also had more accessible price points, which would help grow his fan base. The only things he needed to commit was his time and taste (Amed, 2013). Eventually, he expanded his Tom Ford brand to menswear in 2007 and finally womenswear in 2010. Ford was welcomed back with open arms, especially by the A-List Hollywood celebrities. All the big names, from Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Gwyneth Platrow, and Ryan Gosling, have worn his designs down the red carpet at some point. When Daniel Craig played James Bond, he only wore Tom Ford suits in the films (Galloway, 2016).

As a fashion lover, Ford is someone whom I have been paying attention to for years now, whether it is his fashion shows or which celebrities wore his clothes on the red carpet. I personally think his womenswear are for a more mature clientele with its flair for sexy cuts. These are items that I cannot see myself wearing right now at my age. Even if I do have the money to buy from his women’s line, I have nowhere to wear them (right now at least) considering I’m a student. What I do wear from his brand are his sunglasses as they are truly timeless. Ford made sure that if you were wearing his eyewear, people would know it’s his design with the signature metal T at the temples on almost all of his design. No matter which one I decided to wear for the day, I always felt like a celebrity wearing them. All I’m missing is the paparazzi tailing me #justkidding.

The itch for filmmaking did not leave him even when his fashion brand flourished. His production company acquired the rights for the novel, A Single Man, about a gay English professor living in Southern California, mourning the loss of his lover. Ford ended up producing, directing, and writing the screenplay for it. The film was critically acclaimed and even helped Colin Firth, who played the professor, score a 2009 Oscar nomination. Firth has stated Ford was one of the best directors he worked with and his “elegance and composure are obvious to everyone. He’s immaculate, calm, articulate, and gentle” (Galloway, 2016). It took Ford a while, but his second film, Nocturnal Animals, was also well-received when it was released in 2016.

With Ford’s success in the film industry, he showed how fashion and film are actually not that far from each other artistically. Maybe directing will be Christopher Bailey’s next move as he just left his Creative Direction position at Burberry after 10 years. Who knows? Ford is one of the rare people in the fashion world who’s able to excel in another industry. Hopefully, it inspires other designers to make a leap of faith.

If anything, Ford is the rule breaker, the trendsetter. He sets his own rules that work for his brand. While many of the prestigious design houses like Dior or Louis Vuitton have contracts with celebrities to wear their clothes on the red carpet only, Ford is against that transaction. He questions their effectiveness as they cost as much as a fashion show and personally just does not like the idea. On the rare occasion he does dress someone (he only dresses one celebrity per award show), he wants the celebrity’s discussion of the dress to serve as the ad. “Otherwise, why am I giving you free dress?” Ford quipped (Foley & Palmieri, 2018).

As my conversation with Christian continued while making our way around the store, we talked about Ford’s connection to Gucci. “Without Ford, there probably is no Gucci today,” Christian stated, something I agree with him 100%. After Ford left, the next designer was Frida Giannini, who was known for her clean lines and structure. Sales slumped and in late 2014, she quit her position and was replaced by Alessandro Michele, the current designer. “Did you know that Ford actually hired Michele way back in 2002?” Christian asked, something I completely forgot. What Michele has done to Gucci is something similar to what Ford did: reviving the brand in a new direction.

While Ford made Gucci known for its sex appeal, Michele infused heavy floral, color, and embroidery into the brand. It gives off a 1970s vibe with its flamboyance. What I find amazing is the incredible transformation the brand has gone through in the past twenty-four years from sexy to clean lines to now bohemian. Michele’s legacy at Gucci will be his colorful tastes, but Ford will forever and always be known as the man who saved Gucci.

Work Cited

Amed, I. (2013). Tom Ford: How the man who rescued Gucci created his own billion-dollar brand. Evening Standard. Retrieved from https://www.standard.co.uk/business/markets/tom-ford-how-the-man-who-rescued-gucci- created-his-own-billion-dollar-brand-8843703.html

Foley, B.& Palmieri, J.E. (2018). Tom’s New York Days. WWD. Retrieved from http://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/toms-new-york-11137890/

Galloway, S. (2016). Tom Ford’s Inner Life: A Director’s Turmoil, Depression Battles, and Staggering Talent. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/tom-ford-designer-turned-director-925601

Horyn, C. (2015). Tom Ford Gets Candid About His Years at Gucci. The Cut. Retrieved from https://www.thecut.com/2015/04/tom-ford-gets-candid-about-his-years-at-gucci.html

Lewis, T. (2016). Tom Ford: ‘I wore a suit on set. It’s a uniform…I feel weak in trainers’. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/oct/23/tom-ford-suit-set-film-nocturnal-animals-director

Petit, S. (2016). Tom Ford’s Painful Memories of Childhood Bullying: ‘I Was Absolutely Tortured’. People. Retrieved from http://people.com/movies/tom-ford-memories-childhood-bullying-i-was-absolutely-tortured/

Solomatina, I. (2016). Why Tom Ford’s Tenure at Gucci Was so Memorable. Sleek. Retrieved from http://www.sleek-mag.com/2016/08/31/why-tom-fords-tenure-at-gucci-was-so-memorable/

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What Do You Know About the Man in the Suit?

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