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Tom Ford

Arash vs Tom Ford: Shorts In The City

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You may recall I did a post a little while back called ‘What Would Tom Ford Do?’ or WWTFD for short. It was a bit of a tongue in cheek post with some more serious points at the end. Just a quick recap, I talked about the concept of ‘modelling’ and how thinking like Tom Ford will never really leave you astray when it comes to dressing well. However, shortly after I wrote that post I noticed B from Beautifully-Invisible posted a quote from Mr Ford stating he thought the only place men should wear shorts was on the beach.

Well I have to say, as much as I agree with most things he says I have to disagree with him here. If he was talking about flip flops then yeah he would have a very valid point, but certainly not shorts. What’s his beef with guys baring a bit of leg?

I for one would much feel the breeze on my legs rather than have them baked in denim or khaki pants, then have to come home and contend with sweaty balls. Yeah I said it!

Now I don’t want to sound like I’m ranting but what’s wrong with the picture below that I’ve taken from the Reiss website. A perfectly cool, well cut, stylish outfit which would look perfect during summer time in any city.

 

If you want to wear shorts however make sure they’re cut correctly for your legs. The trend at the moment is above the knee however if you feel more comfortable with them a little longer then go ahead, indulge. However, I would stick to block colours and simple patterns. Avoid any garish checks or prints and definitely keep them around your waist, not hanging from your backside.

There is also the alternative of investing in some chino’s that are tapered and turning up the legs slightly for those that aren’t quite brave enough to get their legs out.

Anyway enough of me…

I’d love to hear your thoughts on shorts in the city.

Was I wrong to criticise Mr Ford?

 

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What Would Tom Ford Do?

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“A great guideline is WWTFD? (What WOULD Tom Ford Do?)”

I loved this quote by Bella from the citizen rosebud. If you’re wondering where it came from, it was in reference to the post I did How Many Buttons Do I Leave Open On My Shirt? I decided I liked the quote so much that I’d do a full blown post on the subject, especially as I know how much some of my readers love Mr Ford. So what’s this post about? Well in the past I’ve written guides and how to’s on women’s style but this little nugget eclipses everything else I’ve written. It’s the one piece of information and mindset that you need to adopt whenever you face a style dilemma.

 

What Would Tom Ford Do? (WWTFD)

This is the magic question you need to ask yourself whenever you’re unsure about whether to buy that new pair or shoes or when you’re stood in front of your mirror scratching your head over an outfit. There is no need to ring your friend for her advice just channel that inner Tom Ford and ask yourself What Would Tom Ford Do? Would he give the go ahead to that dress, would those shoes get his nod of approval? Is that dress sexy enough to get a thumbs up? These are the sorts of questions you need to be asking yourself when faced with the toughest of style headaches.

 

Why Tom Ford?

I remember receiving some serious flak when I was featured on fashionlimbo by someone who left a commenting saying all I do is talk about Tom Ford. I think to date I’ve only ever written one post about Tom Ford in my ‘style icons’ series. So I know I risk being hated on again but hey ho… The reason it’s What Would Tom Ford Do and not say… What Would Domenico Dolce Do? is simply because Tom Ford must be one of the most loved men in fashion. Everyone seems to love him, not only that but he has a really great business knack as well as a keen eye for style. Everything he touches turns to gold… just ask the Gucci group.

Modelling

On a more serious note while the above was a little bit tongue in cheek there is certainly truth in it. If you’re familiar with the term modelling (I don’t mean walking down catwalks) it is an NLP term where you take a small part of something that someone excels at and try to mimic how they do it. So modelling someone who has a great belief and values on style is a fantastic way to improve your own style.

You could simply start by looking at his past collections and identifying themes running through them and posing yourself the questions? What makes it stylish?

Look at the way he puts the clothes together and how they work.

I know this sort of thing works as I’ve used it myself when I was developing my own style and still do.

 

So although WWTFD is a little bit tongue in cheek, it’s still a very valid question to ask when your struggling with your own style.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on Tom Ford and this post…

 

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Bringing Sexy Back; Who Puts the Sexy in to Fashion?

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Being a guy in the fashion blogoshpere can be a bit of a lonely affair. I know there are others, however they tend to stick to discussing men’s fashion and style exclusively. Then you have the street style photographers like the wonderful Lee Oliveira and the now infamous Scott Schuman. However, finding men that blog and discuss women’s fashion seems to be a bit of a rarity. Which is quite remarkable considering that men seem to dominate the designer world. Do guys prefer to make fashion rather than discuss it?

It maybe a controversial statement that men tend to dominate fashion design? I don’t know. What I do know is that when I try and think of major fashion designers off the top of my head the men seem to out weigh the women. Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford, Christopher Bailey, John Galliano, Karl Largerfeld, Alber Elbaz, Alexander Wang, Nicolas, Ghesquiere, Stefano Pilati, Giorgo Armani, Alexander Wang, Roberto Cavalli, Marc Jacobs and I could continue. All of these guys are heading at least one of some of the major fashion houses. But why is that the case? Why are there so many men at the helm of women’s fashion. Tom Ford believes men make better designers for women as they don’t have to worry about body issues;

“Men are often better designers for women than other women….I think we are more objective. We don’t come with the baggage of hating certain parts of our bodies”

This brings me back round to the title of the thread then who puts the sexy into fashion? Inevitably it must be men if they dominate the designer world? When I think of sexy shoes I think of Christian Louboutin. Tom Ford was renowned for his ‘sexy’ designs at Gucci, his sexy swagger is now his signature. Dolce & Gabbana are obsessed with highlighting the female curves and each collection pays homage with a corset or two. Roberto Cavalli’s signature low cuts and exotic prints again inject the catwalk with an air of sexiness. But then I also think of Donna karen’s beautiful evening wear and I know Frida Giannini has done a good job of keeping up the sexy image that Tom Ford created at Gucci in the 1990s.

So really you have to look at the term ‘sexy’ because sexy to me may not be sexy to you. I didn’t set out to give you the answer to the question but rather get you thinking about it. I’d love to hear your feedback and thoughts on the issues I mentioned in the post.

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Style Icons: Tom Ford

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Those of you that check out my blog regularly will know that I recently came down with manflu so spent the majority of the last week resting. Unfortunately during that time I didn’t get to give you guys the post you were expecting. I’m glad to say I’m now fully recovered and able to deliver what I promised. As you guys have probably noticed I have not done a style icons post for a while so I thought I’d hit you with someone new just before christmas. I had a few people in mind but ended up settling on this particular person for two reasons. One, he epitomises style and two, oozes sex appeal, so with out further a do I present; Style Icons: Tom Ford.

If you don’t already know who Tom Ford is then allow me to introduce him to you. Tom Ford is an American fashion designer most famous for reviving the Gucci brand and putting the glamour back into fashion. He worked as creative director for Gucci from 1994 to 2004 and turned it from an almost bankrupt fashion house to a brand valued at $10 billion before moving onto start his own label.

I’ve spoken to friends who remember Gucci clothing from when Tom Ford was designing them and the one thing they all reference is how they had sex appeal. There is something about this man, whenever his name comes up in conversation women swoon over him. Now let’s break it down a little, Tom Ford is always dressed to impress that’s the key thing to take from his gentleman. Although his favoured style is that of formalwear you can still pick up tips from the way he carries himself and how he puts his pieces together.

If you’re a fan of formal wear, like myself then you’ll love Mr Ford’s style. His suits are always perfectly cut he pays attention to the little extra details such pocket squares and bow ties. To get around the potential monotony of wearing similar pieces he chooses different textures and fabrics as well as colours. He also relaxes more formal looks by leaving an extra button open on a dress shirt which is almost a signature look for him now or rolling his sleeves up.

The Tom Ford look is easy to mimic if you are prepared to go the extra mile with your details. The number one detail is the fit, a strong shoulder line and nipped in waist are crucial to give you that elegant yet masculine V shape. Also look at adding a couple of good quality accessories such as a simple piece of jewellery, bow tie or a relaxed open scarf.

Let me know what you think of this style icon by commenting below.

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