How to Dress Like Tom Ford

Tom Ford is one of the most important fashion designers of the 21st century, and he's the man who has made the suits for the last four James Bond movies. But as well as his eye-catching runway and ready-to-wear designs, the Texas-born tailor has a very distinct personal style. This recognisable style forms a strong part of his brand. He has somewhat of a uniform that he wears daily, so in today's video we're going to break down this uniform and see how you can wear it yourself. We'll also take a look at some of the ways Tom Ford varies his style when dressing up or dressing down. So let's begin with the suit. Tom Ford is almost always seen in a black, single-breasted, two-piece suit. There are certain features of this suit that make it distinct to him and his fashion house. The lapels are wide, not skinning. The jacket is well-constructed with lots of padding in the shoulders. Whereas some men prefer a more unconstructed, natural suit, Tom Ford says he prefers to be gently held in place. He has a slim build and stands six feet tall, and I think this style of suit suits him very well. Wearing a black suit in the daytime is considered a huge no-no by many stylish men. I'm sure that Tom Ford is aware of that, but he decided to do it anyway. He says black makes him feel confident. It goes to show that the rules are meant to be broken, if you know what you're doing. Tom Ford almost always pairs this black suit with a crisp white dress shirt. In fact, I was unable to find any images of him wearing his black suit with a pink, blue, or striped dress shirt. He says he likes the contrast of the white shirt with the black suit. Tom Ford almost exclusively wears French cuffs, because they give him the opportunity to accessorise with cufflinks, which we'll talk about later in the accessories section of this video. Often he won't wear a tie, and he will wear his shirt unbuttoned down to three buttons. This is more than most men would dare to unbutton, and it would be too much chest for an ordinary man to show, for example, in an office environment. But of course, Tom Ford exists in the fashion world, where the rules are very, very different. It may not surprise you to hear that Tom Ford always wears black shoes with this monochromatic look. And if you are going to wear a black suit, black footwear is definitely the way to go. Tom Ford likes Oxford or Derby shoes without broguing or sleek Chelsea boots. He's not a fan of sneakers, especially with tailoring. In fact, he went as far as to say, I feel weak in trainers. I also recently read an interview in which he revealed he doesn't even like his young son wearing his brightly coloured dinosaur sneakers. So in many ways, Tom Ford is a traditionalist, especially when it comes to his footwear. Moving on to accessories, and I think this is where Tom Ford's personal style really gets interesting. Perhaps his most outlandish accessory is his sunglasses. He wears a large rotation of his own brand's bold 70s inspired shades. These sunglasses typically have some kind of brown or orange tint. If you want to copy this look without spending hundreds of dollars on a Tom Ford pair, I would recommend checking out a brand named Carrera. These were the sunglasses of choice for Paul Newman, and they have that same 70s style and high quality for a fraction of the price. Tom Ford doesn't always wear a tie, but when he does, there are two certainties. One, the tie will be black, and two, he will almost always wear a collar bar. The black tie continues the monochromatic theme of his look, but sometimes he will wear a silk tie, but at other times he goes for a knit tie, always with a dimple. The collar bar is more of a style affectation, not commonly seen today, but Ford says it makes him feel more fashionable and less conservative in a suit. Continuing the black and white theme, Tom Ford almost always wears a white pocket square. He normally wears this in a presidential fold, sometimes straight across, but sometimes rather wonky. Because the lapels of his jackets are often wide, you don't always see the full pocket square, just a glimpse of white, which makes it more understated. Now I mentioned earlier that Tom Ford likes to wear cufflinks. He says it is one of the few pieces of jewelry that a classically inclined man can wear. It's hard to see from photos exactly what cufflinks he is wearing, but we can only presume they are Tom Ford cufflinks, which cost several thousands of dollars a pair. When it comes to watches, Tom Ford is a big Rolex guy, but he isn't overly flashy with his timepieces. He believes they should be discovered rather than announced, and always matched carefully with the rest of his outfit. So we've taken a close look at the everyday suit uniform of Tom Ford, but he doesn't always dress this way. The designer previously said he has two go-to looks, an urban look, which is the suit, and a country look. For the country look, Ford normally switches to a pair of slim-fitting dark wash jeans. These will be worn with a pair of leather boots in brown, again, not sneakers. For the most part, Tom Ford still likes to wear a shirt, but he'll switch the pressed white French cuff shirt for a more casual piece like a denim shirt. He wears a variety of casual jackets, such as a brown suede trucker jacket, or sometimes he will wear his black suit jacket casually. Often, Tom Ford will accessorize his casual outfits with a scarf, and some of the same sunglasses he wears with his suits. Tom Ford is a big fan of dress codes, and he loves black tie and white tie. For the most part, he plays by the rules and follows the traditional standard of these dress codes. Sometimes he will be the only man on the red carpet who has actually understood the dress code and followed it for the evening, but that doesn't mean he isn't creative with black tie where it's appropriate. He likes a rather large black bow tie to match his preference for large lapels, and often he will add a large white carnation boutonniere. When it comes to the dinner suit as a whole, Tom Ford doesn't just wear black. He loves navy blue or midnight blue. You may remember that he dressed James Bond in this tuxedo in Skyfall. Overall, Tom Ford is a big fan of velvet because he thinks it holds rich colours very well. Now I want to share some final points to consider that aren't necessarily about clothes, but instead create the overall appearance of a Tom Ford man. Make sure you give yourself a manicure. Tom Ford says a pair of well-manicured hands will end up in many more pairs of underwear than unkempt hands. Speaking of underwear, Tom Ford might sell a great variety of underwear, but he himself prefers to go commando. And finally, fragrance. If you own any Tom Ford product, it's likely to be one of his fantastic fragrances. He's not afraid to over spray. He wears lots and lots of fragrance, applying more and more throughout the day. Tom Ford says if you choose the right fragrance, and he probably means one of his own fragrances, nobody will complain. So Tom Ford's personal style goes against a lot of the advice I normally share on this channel. I have no doubt that he is a menswear expert and he understands that he's breaking the rules. It goes to show that you must wear what makes you feel confident and what you think looks best. Just be sure to put deliberate thought into your outfit, as Mr Ford does, and to always take pride in your appearance. Tom Ford is a man with a defined personal uniform, an idea which has become more and more popular in recent years. Another example of this is Kevin O'Leary, whose trademark black suit and collar bar might have been inspired by Tom Ford. David Lynch also almost exclusively wears a black suit and tie. Meanwhile, Barack Obama only wears grey or blue suits. It's actually quite rare to see a stylish man adopt this way of thinking. Normally, the everyday uniform is worn by men who show no interest in being a style icon. I'm thinking Mark Zuckerberg, the late Steve Jobs, and the Pope. So I'm very intrigued to get your opinion in the comments. Could you wear the same thing every day? And what would that be? Or are you like me, would you get bored of putting on the same outfit day in, day out, stuck in a kind of closet monotony? Although I don't love Tom Ford's daily uniform, I will say it works for him. Because he is the public face of his fashion company, it creates a very strong personal brand and makes him more memorable. I don't, however, think it would be a wise move for most men to copy his style exactly. Black is unflattering on many, especially in the daytime. And wearing a two-piece suit isn't always appropriate depending on your profession, family life, and climate. Tom Ford is so successful and has such high status in his industry that he can do whatever he wants, people will admire him and even try to imitate him. But you and I may be better wearing a variety of clothes for a variety of different occasions and to suit our different moods. Thank you for watching today's video and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on wearing a personal uniform in the comments.