American couture king Tom Ford on quintessence of men's fashion

American couture king Tom Ford is hailed for crafting cult classics. The star designer delves into the quintessence of men's fashion and a lot more in an exclusive with BT More.

As the driving force behind Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, he has mapped the world's fashion frontiers. Now, Tom Ford is all set to conquer the country with his first flagship store in the capital. Located in India's most exclusive retail space-the DLF Emporio, Vasant Kunj, this is the first serious made-to-measure suiting salon in India. After an analysis of your body base and personal preference is sent to the Tom Ford factory in London, you'll receive a bespoke suit which fits and feels like a dream. The man who can, and does, model his own couture spills his style secrets.

Why bespoke
Nothing binds societal trends and individual tastes better than a people's attitude towards fashion. In a language of fabric, it is who we are. An acknowledgement of this fact has brought personalisation and custom-made clothing to the fore. No longer are you expected to fit into encoded and ubiquitous designs and styles. Today, the tasteful and distinguished want their wardrobe to reflect their personal style. "As fashion has become more and more democratic, our customers are looking to us to bring exclusivity and service back to luxury. We offer a wide range of customisation in our product, from shoes to Made to Measure suits. We are building a portfolio of beautifully made things that are crafted to last and not trendy or time stamped, which is a dramatic change to what is happening elsewhere in the industry."

The score with accessories
Once you've cut the Gordian knots of contemporary fashion complexities and acquired the perfect wardrobe, play it up with the right kind of accessories. "Accessories are one of the easiest ways that a man can express himself and also modernise his look from season to season. One can easily update a classic suit by changing his pocket square, his tie, or even his watch. With all menswear, I think that subtlety is important and quality is paramount. A beautiful pair of shoes can transform a simple dark suit into a real style statement."

Codes for colour
Equally pivotal is the art of mixing and matching. Colour coordination seems to be the crux of many a fashion faux pas these days. It is best to sport accessories of, at least, the same colour family. "I would not wear a black watch band with a brown pair of shoes or sunglasses or vice-versa. I think that it is always best to keep accessories that match or exist in the same colour family. For example, I don't like mixing metals (silver watch with gold cufflinks). That said, I do love mixing fabrics to give a certain depth to a look."

Indispensable essentials
Today, the urbane male's wardrobe should comprise a perfect pair of sunglasses, a pair of classic lace-up shoes, a pair of black loafers and a beautiful watch and good cologne which becomes a signature statement. Like most accessories you don, fragrances say a lot about you. "There are fragrances that are easier to wear during the day and also more heady scents that are better in the evening. I have two or three favourite fragrances that I wear almost all of the time and often even layer them throughout the day. When one wears a fragrance over and over, it can become one's signature. As I create fragrances I am always testing and falling in love with new things and as I am not afraid of fragrance I tend to like strong scents and literally douse my self in them."
 
B-town's A-lister Abhishek Bachchan is a Tom Ford fanatic, what do you see him in?
"Abhishek is a very handsome man and doesn't need much help. I would love to see him in a Tom Ford madeto-measure suit, a pair of classic black lace up shoes, a tie, a gold tie pin and a pair of our beautiful gold bar cufflinks to finish off the look".
 
(As told to R.Pallavi)