Tom Ford makes way at fashion show

There is a truly fabulous designer-turned-movie director who most people may not realize even exists in the world of fashion.

The name is Tom Ford, sound familiar?

Although a native Texan, Ford attended New York University to pursue a career in art history and later moved on to Parsons School of Design in New York and Paris to concentrate on architecture. Many people are unaware that he first started work as a women’s wear designer for big-time fashion house Gucci. He was in charge of the design of all product lines, which later promoted him to Creative Director of the Yves Saint Laurent and YSL Beaute branches once the Gucci Group took over the two.

A big accomplishment in Ford’s career is that in the ten years he worked as Creative Director for the Gucci Group, sales soared from 230 million dollars to almost 3 billion dollars.

In 2005, Ford decided to venture out on his own by creating his self-named brand Tom Ford. In partnership with the Marcolin Group, he began producing optical frames and sunglasses, while another alliance with Estée Lauder got the brand started on its own beauty products.

Two years later, Ford opened his first flagship store in New York, and since then he’s opened more than twenty stores worldwide.

From creative director to entrepreneur, Ford soon became a director, producer and writer of his first feature film “The Single Man.” The film is about a college professor, George Falconer, who struggles to survive after the death of long-time partner Jim. To no surprise, the film won the hearts of critics around the world and received many nominations and awards.

To jump-start this year’s fashion week, Ford held a secret fashion show, which not only featured his new designs, but showcased celebrities such as Beyonce and Julianne Moore strutting Ford’s stuff down the runway.

Joe Zee of “The City” fame described Ford’s new collection as “Tom Ford gorgeousness,” featuring “silk fringe gowns, crisp tuxedos, leopard pantsuits, corsets under peekaboo gowns and lace kneeboots.”

Though the city of Houston has yet to have a flagship store dedicated solely to Tom Ford designs, optical stores around the city sell the Tom Ford eyewear line, and specialized department stores, such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom sell Tom Ford eyewear and beauty products.