The Ultimate Beauty Look
That philosophy also extends to his growing beauty line. This month Ford launches a comprehensive 132-piece collection that ranges from cosmetics to skincare to brushes and contains three additions to his fragrance line: Jasmin Rouge, Violet Blonde, and Santal Blush. With beauty counters brimming with choices these days, how does Ford view his collection as a solution? “There are a lot of promises and products out there you don’t even need, so when I started designing the skincare and cosmetics collection, like with anything else I design, I did a lot of research,” he says. “I spent time trying to understand how to compensate for the architecture of the face and designed products that were practical. My formulas are proprietary and really the best money can buy. The colors are rich and original, and the finishes flawless. That is what sets us apart: quality and straightforward products to help every woman amplify her beauty.”

Ford appears in the ad campaign with supermodel Lara Stone, whom he calls “graceful and striking, [possessing] an unusual and individual kind of beauty that is rare in today’s world.” His presence in the campaign sparked some conversation—whispers about the vanity of a man who inserts himself into his ads. But Ford is unapologetic. “I am a very practical and pragmatic person, and the reality is that I am in the ads because I am still in the phase of brand development where I need to make sure people realize there is an actual person behind the brand, designing literally everything we make and creating the language of the brand,” he says. “I am not in the ads because I am vain. A lot of people still do not know who I am, and the product sells better with me in the ads, which we know from the men’s perfume ads I have appeared in.”
 

   

What Comes Next
Ford turned 50 in August, an event that tends to inspire men and women alike, regardless of status or profession, to pause for a moment of reflection. One might argue Ford has been reflecting since his departure from Gucci in 2004, taking his time to build what he wanted to say as an artist of fashion or film. And every step is on his own terms: His womenswear shows, which have shifted from New York to London, continue to be shrouded in secrecy, with photos not released until the clothes arrive in stores; he is likewise mum on his follow-up to A Single Man, although he does allow that by midsummer 2012, “If I am lucky, we might be talking about my next film.”

When Tom Ford joined Gucci in 1990, it was a dusty brand that had been diluted in its perceived value by too much licensing; quite simply, no one cared about the storied Italian label that had seen better days. By 2004, when he exited what ultimately had become the Gucci Group, the company was a global giant valued at $10 billion, with the paramount reason for its monumental turnaround most decidedly rooted in the sensuous luxury Ford brought to the mix. It’s telling that, after experiencing the stratospheric highs of the golden Gucci era of the 1990s—the nonstop attention and frenzied, large-scale shows with audiences of 1,000-plus—Ford is both inspired by and wholly content with the notion of building a brand that not only reaches new heights of luxury, but does so on a decidedly intimate level. Asked if he’d ever be interested in once again signing on as the creative director of a house built by another, Ford’s answer is a simple one: “Why? Been there, done that. I have my own brand. Why would I need anything else?”