There's a lot of exciting things on the horizon for Tom Ford. January sees the opening of his first stand alone store in London in Sloane Square and that month will also see him show his menswear line in the capital for the first time. But none of that is quite exciting as his latest announcement.
Last week the designer confirmed the birth of his first child with long-term partner Richard Buckley. LOVE magazine broke the news on Twitter, congratulating the pair saying, 'Congratulations to Tom Ford and Richard Buckley who have announced the birth of their son Alexander John Buckley Ford.'
He's has always been incredibly private so his decision to keep quiet about it all comes as no surprise. Talking to Time last year, he made no qualms about it, telling the magazine that when he does become a father, it would be a private affair. 'No one will know about it until the child is born and no one will ever see the child because I certainly wouldn't use it as a press tool,' he said. 'Maybe you'll see it when it's 18, but I will keep it out of the spotlight. I wouldn't use it as a press tool, as some people I know have recently.'
I learned a tremendous amount from my time at Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, but I was always designing within an existing framework. In launching my own line, I am allowed to only create products that I believe in. Everything at Tom Ford is steeped in my DNA — it would be a step backwards for me now to go and design for another fashion house.
The London Collections in July were a hit. Press and buyers, who usually skip the old menswear day, all came to town and everyone from Prince Charles to Tinie Tempah hosted events in the capital over the course of the three day festivities. Thankfully, it won't be a one off. Today the British Fashion Council confirmed that London's first men's fashion week is officially here to stay and will return in January 2013.
Joining GQ editor Dylan Jones, Tinie Tempah, Tom Ford and David Walliams on the panel next year will be model Douglas Booth, actor Tom Hiddleston and artist Tracey Emin. Even more exciting about next season is the news that Ford will join the schedule by showing his menswear show, which will take place in the same month that his first British store on London's Sloane street will open. 'I am very pleased to be showing my menswear collection in London next January,' he said in statement. London has a vibrancy that is inspiring and much of what I create for men takes inspiration from traditional British menswear.
Today it was announced that Karl Lagerfeld is setting up shop in Selfridges but he's not the only one launching a new space in the capital. WWD confirm that Tom Ford will open his first stand-alone British store in London's Knightsbridge.
So far his label is available at Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Selfridges but the new store will boast the women's, men's and beauty collections in their entirety, all under one roof. At the moment it's still unclear what the 8,000 sq ft space will look like and when the doors will open but what we do know is that it will be housed on Sloane Street.
I think it's safe to say that Rihanna's last big cover didn't go down particularly well. While her accompanying spread in US Elle's wasn't too bad, it was the cover, which showed off her blonde hair and black roots, that was generally to blame for the criticisms. Over the weekend it emerged that the 24 year-old has bagged another cover but this time for US Harper's Bazaar's August issue and so far things are looking good.
The image that has hit the net is said to be the magazine's subscriber's issue and sees the singer sport a gold dress from Tom Ford's Fall 2012 collection along with blue snakeskin boots, in what is her first ever cover for the US title. The magazine has been doing well with their covers and fashion stories since their big redesign earlier on this year so I'm sure we'll be in for a treat.
News of Hedi Slimane's plan to drop the 'Yves' from Yves Saint Laurent didn't go down particularly well but it looks like the move has one big supporter. Last week Pierre Bergé spoke out in favour of the change telling Fashionista:
I am very, very happy today to have Hedi Slimane because he is a great fashion designer and he has a great talent, a huge talent. I like him, he is a friend and he worked for Saint Laurent a long time ago and he’s a member of the family, of the YSL family.
Just in case you're unfamiliar with him, Bergé was Yves Saint Lauren't business and romantic partner. Over the years he's been publicly critical of many of the house's former creative directors and has made a point of trying to ensure that the memory of the founder is maintained so his endorsement of the move came as quite the surprise. 'I'm very happy,' he told WWD. 'Anything that makes the house more Saint Laurent is welcome.'
There's no denying that Tom Ford is one of the industry's most loved designers but even he is a victim of adverse criticism from the press. Last September, in particular, he came under attack by Le Figaro's Virginie Mouzat who wrote that his collection resembled 'an out-of-date Gucci collection from ten years ago,' only to summarise writing that 'overload is the key word of the show.' In a discussion last week with Grazia's style director Paula Reed at the Apple store in London, such criticisms were discussed along with the pressures designers are under today.
When asked whether bad reviews still hurt, he responded, 'Of course they do. Because often a bad review is right and those hurt in a different way because you know in your heart what you're ready is right,' he admitted. 'You're quite raw because they come out the day or two days after you've done [with the show] and haven't been able to cover from it. You're exhausted and you can't really see what you've created because you're too close to it.'
Last week's amfAR Cinema Against Aids gala was a huge success raking in a record-breaking £7 million on the night and Carine Roitfeld definitely lent a helping hand in bringing the money in.
This year the former Vogue editor and long-time contributor to the event held a special fashion show at the gala where everyone from Cara Delevigne to Kate Upton walked the runway. The theme was 'the perfect black wardrobe' and everyone from Tom Ford to Christopher Kane donated their designs, which were all auctioned off as a single lot for £240,500.
Roitfeld wasn't the only industry figure lending a hand. Karl Lagerfeld put his services forward along with Harvey Weinsten to offer the opportunity for someone to star in a short film directed by the designer and produced by the Hollywood giant. Even Peter Lindbergh offered a private shoot up for auction, which raised £71,000.
