Tom Ford sets up shop in London.
Fashion’s most suave designer, Tom Ford is set to launch his inaugural boutique in London. This first British venture for the Texas-born and raised designer will make Sloane Street home.
According to The Sunday Times, the boutique will stock his coveted Tom Ford label. The designer’s first British boutique is set to inspire fans of the “real women” line to shop designer.
His sexy and silhouette defining creations, worn by Julianne Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce Knowles and Rihanna, are currently stocked at upmarket Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, but this stand-alone boutique means business.
The man who helped turn iconic Italian fashion house Gucci into a billion-dollar business has always had a passion for films, and made that dream materialise when he directed Colin Firth and Julianne Moore in A Single Man (released in 2009).
In 2004, following years of super-sexy creations under the Gucci label and a short stint with Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, Ford retired. The designer who dressed some of the world’s biggest celebrities was a celebrity in his own right. He garnered as much attention, dressed in his signature black tux and shades, when he walked the red carpet as his A-list friends, dressed in Gucci, did.
After a much-needed break from designing, Ford launched his company, Tom Ford International, in 2006. His first venture was an indulgent men’s line. His meticulous tailoring debuted on the red carpet with the help of Jake Gyllenhaal, Brad Pitt and Craig Daniel.
In September 2010 he silenced many of the critics, who deemed him to be OTT, with the launch of his Tom Ford women’s line. The private affair gathered some of the most talked about fashionable guests. Ford also enlisted many of his said muses to pull double duty as models. Supermodel Liya Kebede, super entertainer Beyonce Knowles and actress Julianne Moore all took the runway for Ford. That very intimate event signified Ford’s return to the world of fashion, and it felt as if he had never left. The clothes, although he said then were nothing like Gucci, oozed sex appeal with a hint of 70s glamour.
His winter 2012 collection, unveiled during London Fashion Week in late March, was sexy and edgy, in true Tom Ford style. Bright bold colours (red and yellow) merged with skin-tight silhouettes (in flannel, tweed and leather) and knee-high boots. Tom Ford International boasts fragrances, lipstick and eyewear and the sky is the limit.
