Welcome to the Tom Ford Show...Please Ask For Assistance

Tom Ford's long awaited showplace is finally open amid a flurry of gushing press and more than a little delay (it was supposed to open last fall). We won't speculate whether or not today's driving rainstorm is an omen or simply unfortunate, but now that the store has opened its doors, The Shophound has gone right in, wet shoes and all.
Ford has made a big deal about how he couldn't find any clothes to wear after leaving Gucci, and resorted to custom tailoring on London's Savile Row to supply his wardrobe needs. Surprised at the spartan shops and lack of pampering he found, the designer decided to improve on the experience and apply his own sense of luxury and showmanship to the upper echelons of menswear. In fact, shoes and leathergoods are stamped with the store's full address, much like a traditional English maker would have done. While we wouldn't dare second guess the man who turned Gucci into the most important label in the world, we can't help wondering if he has overcompensated just a bit and defeated his own purpose in the process. Is it opulent? Oh yes. Modern? Well...that may be another story.

We have borrowed the photos from Womens Wear Daily's piece on Ford earlier this week mostly because the heavy staff presence is not conducive to The Shophound's usual stealth photography methods. We were faced at the door with a reception desk, something that symbolizes a high level of service, but we suspect that this is more useful to those morning and evening appointment-only customers than it is to the casual Madison Avenue browser. Much has been made about the Lucio Fontana artwork hanging in the entry as representing a part of the female-oh, alright, a vagina. We have to say that this interpretation is best left to art students, and so far, Ford's pervy sensibilities have been kept mostly in check. What we immediately noticed was his distinctive sense of décor. The store is predictably dark and dramatically lit, reflecting the aesthetic he imposed on Gucci as well as many of it's subsidiary brands during his time there. The monochromatic grays and browns are signature Ford, as are the sleek modern furniture pieces. A Baroque gilded framed mirror and coordinating antique chairs add an imperial touch to the dramatic setting. We didn't notice the much-written-about beaver rugs which may have been removed due to the foul weather. We were greeted by every employee we encountered, but nobody offered to open any of the glass doors that came between us and most of the merchandise in the store. So, the staff welcomed us, but didn't actually do much to engage us. Did we ask to open the doors ourselves? Why should we? We didn't. We have to wonder why anyone would open such a showplace and then subtly discourage visitors from touching the goods? From what we could see behind the glass, Ford has continued following the more classical menswear path he had started on before he left Gucci. There are lush brocade robes, a full selection of evening clothes and even old school short tennis shorts. Ready-made suits are said to start at $3,000, and on a mannequin we saw one in gray tweed with a subtle mauve deco-stripe. For starters, the fabric was awfully heavy and wintry for spring. Its wide, peaked lapels and shaped proportions show that Ford has not been tempted by the shrunken, boxy jacket with highwater pant look that has enchanted the fashion press lately, but impeccable workmanship aside, it was neither a fresh look nor a truly timeless one. It suggests that Ford simply picked up where he left off at Gucci, designwise, while other leading designers have moved forward in the interceding three years.
The prices certainly reflect a confidence in his brand's appeal, with a very plain white dress shirt priced over $400. The shoe line has a classic English inspiration as well, and with most pairs priced in the $1,200 to $1,500 range, they had better be exceptionally well made. Some had slightly elevated heels stamped with a tiny "TF", and, again, there was a substantial selection of evening shoes from patent leather oxfords to embroidered velvet slippers. A simple but beautifully designed leather billfold in the adjacent accessory corner was a whopping $545, and a simple zippered leather document envelope was over $1,500. Ford has set his prices squarely in Hermès territory, a gutsy move.
A beautifully designed spiral staircase leads to the second floor which, devoted to bespoke tailoring, was mostly in private use during our visit.
So what are we to make of this long awaited retail debut? Ford's idea of luxury is a lush, flashy setting, but also a throwback to the days when staff fussed over customers and brought them things from behind closed doors. There were heavy wool sweaters hidden in drawers, but you might have to open them yourself to see them. Is all that fussing really desirable or even comfortable? Is this really how the wealthy want to shop these days, or is it an antiquated concept of "service"?
Ford has leased some of the most expensive retail space in the world, without the support of a luxury conglomerate, and devoted it to the highest end menswear, a very narrow niche, without having established a wholesale business, or a more press-friendly women's line. Except for his fragrances and sunglasses, this store is it. There is currently nowhere else to buy his merchandise. Generally, judging from the overhead alone, we would call it a recipe for disaster, but, as we mentioned, never second guess Tom Ford. He has been very coy about future plans for his brand, saying only that he won't start a women's line until he completes his first movie (which has yet to be announced). With the kind of investment the store suggests, we can be sure that Ford has his sight set on something much bigger for his own brand, and we're guessing that a full women's line will come sooner rather than later. It may have to. As he told WWD, "As fun as all this is, I wouldn't be doing it if it weren't potentially profitable, and that's the ultimate goal of any business, to make money," so get ready, because we suspect the Tom Ford Show has barely gotten started.

Tom Ford 845 Madison Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan
Tom Ford's Big Leap: Manhattan Store Puts New Stamp On Luxury (WWD)
interior photographs by Pasha Antonov from WWD.com

Comments

[karla gregorio]

I am so happy to now about your boutique, i have olways love tom ford desing, i am a fashion consultant for men i am goin to be opeoing my onw boutique/ fashion consultant for men i i will love to have some of your clouding in my boutique,
Congratuletion on my part.

karla gregorio.