tom ford :: essays research papers

TOM FORD     Born in Texas in 1962, Tom carrefour went on to become arguably the most authoritative designer of the last decade. Having initially trained as an actor, he analyze interior architecture at Parsons School of Design until 1986, and went on to give positions at Perry Ellis and Cathy Hardwick, before joining Gucci in 1990.      carrefour was hired by Guccis then creative director Dawn Mello as chief womens off-the-shelf designer, and later appointed design director. When, in 1994, Gucci was acquired by a Bahrain-based investment funds firm called Investcorp, intersection was promoted to creative director and moved to Milan with his partner, journalist Richard Buckley.      In his first year at the helm, he was credited with putting the capture back into fashion introducing Halston-style velvet hipsters, skinny satin shirts and car-finish metallic patent boots. In 1995, he brought in French stylist Carine Roi tfeld and photographer Mario Testino to create a series of new, modern ad campaigns for the company. By 1999, the house, which had been almost bankrupt when Ford joined, was valued at about $4.3 billion. "We didnt even have a photocopier at one stage," he admits. "We didnt have any paper." In 2000, Ford was named trump out International Designer at the first VH1/Vogue Awards in pertly York.     After Gucci bought a controlling stake in Yves Saint Laurent, Ford was appointed creative director of YSL, too, and communications director of the houses ready-to-wear business, eon continuing to design for Gucci. A mighty challenge certainly, but Ford was adamant he could keep the two labels distinct. "Historically, Gucci is Sophia Loren. Yves Saint Laurent is Catherine Deneuve. Theyre both sexy," he told British Vogue in February 2001. "Its just that Gucci is a little more obvious than Saint Laurent. The YSL char might tie her boyfriend u p and drip hot wax on him before they have sex, for instance. The Gucci woman is just going to have sex."     Ford believes that he owes his success not to talent, but to his energy. He admits to sleeping just two or cardinal hours per night, keeping post-it notes beside the bed in case he wakes up with an idea. " in that respect are many more talented designers than me," he once told an interview at the V&A in London. "But I have a lot of drive and wont let it go." He as well as credits his "mainstream" appeal. "Im lucky, I have mass-market tastes," he says. "When I say I like a shoe, generally thousands of people will like it.