Tom Ford The Glamour Of Italian Fashion Arrivals - P 2014
Jon Furniss/Invision/APAhead of receiving the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award on Monday night at Lincoln Center, Tom Ford chatted with WWD‘s Bridget Foley about his career, marriage and age. As usual, the designer was as outspoken as ever.
At age 52, Ford says, “more and more, the older I get, I get nostalgic, and it makes you sad.” But that doesn’t mean he’d want to be 30 again. Instead, he’s learned to embrace his age, especially with the help of his son, Jack (nee Alexander John Buckley Ford). “Since we’ve had Jack I haven’t had a Botox injection or a filler. I haven’t had time,” the designer told Foley.
STORY: Tom Ford on the Powerful Influence of Rihanna’s Instagram
Ford, who welcomed Jack in September 2012 with husband Richard Buckley, also explained what led him to tie the knot with his longtime partner. “We didn’t want Jack to be a bastard,” he said.
As far as how he feels about receiving the CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award, Ford explained that the experience feels as “if someone is throwing water on you. It wakes you up as to your age.” One other particular moment that also reminded him of his age? Being on set with two models: “I thought in my head, ‘These are people I could probably sleep with.’ And then I heard one of them refer to me as old — I was 38 years old,” Ford said. “It was one of those little milestones that made me think, ‘OK, I’m this age. I am old enough to be their father.’ “
Given that the designer also spent 10 years at Gucci, he said he was proud of his work there but doesn’t necessarily feel attached to it anymore. “It has taken a long time for me to not feel that connection,” said Ford. “At Gucci, they’re clearly looking at my archives. I’ll look and say, ‘Oh, I remember that, I remember that.’ But I don’t feel attached to it anymore; it feels less personal. I don’t feel a strong personality in that brand.”
