Tom Ford, director?

Tom Ford, designer slash director

The television commercial actor from Texas who studied interior architecture in New York and eventually turned into a fashion designer is now dabbling in directing.

Tom Ford is hanging up his muslins and turning to film.  The designer who made a success of himself at the House of Gucci is now focusing his creative vision on the big screen with his directorial debut of the movie A Single Man.  I wish I could share a trailer, some clips, or even a few stills from the movie but it seems this film is being kept well under wraps, so a casual photo of the designer (slash director) draped in silk and sipping a single malt scotch will have to do.

Pardon me as I digress…

I suspect that Ford’s reluctance to reveal his cinematic creation in advance comes from his years in the fashion industry where condescending superiority is the norm.  And, where every-one’s work gets locked in a proverbial vault in fear that their cut-throat competition might steal their inspired ideas.  As someone who has worked and played in fashion for a while now, I can say with regrettable disappointment that arrogance, attitude, and a deity complex are widely believed to be the recipe for “success” in the fashion world.

I find it absolutely ridiculous that in order to be a mega star in luxury one must be an elusive and untouchable figurehead who’s duty it is to dictate to the pathetic, plebeians what to wear.  Or more specifically, what we should aspire to wear  (being that most people can’t afford their frocks which are falsely priced to create an illusion of brand value rather than priced for the value of the materials and construction).

After all, these design houses are obliged to create an image of exclusivity so they can price their goods at a profit of 4oo% else they can’t afford the beautifully styled ad campaigns, expensive storefronts, and impressive lifestyles that are a requisite in order to make them desirable in the first place.  It’s really a deceptive circle and we consumers are partly to blame for instigating the industry’s sickness.  After all we’re the ones believing that gilded ostentation equals success and status.

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly own my fair share of luxury goods and, most of the time, you can really feel and see the quality difference that fine materials and couture stitching make.  I’m just putting it out there that many independent designers can deliver equal quality for an honest price.  Leading to my final thought – shop with discriminating taste and choose uniquely special items that suit your individual style.  Don’t let brand names weaken your discretion and empty your wallet.

Aaaah…back to Tom Ford the director…

As a business person, I’ve always admired Tom Ford for his balls-out ambition and his talent for executing a clear vision.  He plays the fashion game well and has created a believable and intriguing designer character of himself.  I’m rooting the for him and hope he can translate his creative prowess to film and his movie is actually good.  Not just good looking.

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If you’re lucky enough to be in Venice for the Film Festival on September 11th you can catch the designer’s film and then leak all the gossip and goodies straight to me

For the curious, here are some basic details about the movie that couldn’t avoid being revealed before the release.

Cast
Collin Firth, and his sweetly charming smile
Julianne Moore, my fellow red headed NYC neighbor
Nicholas Hoult, the adorable “Marcus” from About a Boy
Giniffer Goodwin, the third wife of my favorite HBO drama series Big Love
Matthew Goode, the dapper English bloke from Matchpoint and Chasing Liberty

Synopsis
A gay man who, after the sudden death of his partner, is determined to persist in his usual routine, which is seen in the span of a single, ordinary day in Southern California.

Firth is the gay man, an Englishman and professor who feels like an outsider in Los Angeles. Goode is the boyfriend who dies in a car accident and appears in flashbacks. Moore plays a friend of the professor.

For the considerably curious, listen to the interview with Goode and Firth courtesy of Hollywood Outbreak where they talk about Ford as a director.