TOM FORD'S "SINGLE MAN"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Fashion designer Tom Ford is best known for reinventing the house of Gucci in the 1990s and more recently, launching his own Tom Ford label.
But Ford has shifted gears in recent months to movie directing and his debut "A Single Man" begins playing in U.S. theaters on Friday after a run in festivals earlier this year.
Based on Christopher Isherwood's novel, the film stars Colin Firth as a man who can't bear to continue living after suffering the tragic loss of his lover.
Ford spoke to Reuters about the movie, his switch from fashion to film, and his idea of "enhanced reality."
Q: How does filmmaking compare to fashion design?
A: "Filmmaking is a totally different expression. Fashion for me is a commercial endeavor. Filmmaking is an artistic endeavor and a commercial endeavor. Working on 'Single Man' was the truest expression of anything I've ever created. It had nothing to do with fashion."
Q: Still, you had to get someone to give a fashion designer money to make a movie. How did you do that?
A: "You don't. You pay for it yourself, which is what I did. We had financing set up, but then the Lehman Bros. crash happened. The people who were investing money pulled out in early September when we were already in pre-production."
Q: What brought you to the decision to finance it?
A: "I was talking to (billionaire businessman) David Geffen, who's a friend of mine, and said: 'David, I'm trying to decide if I should just use my own money but everyone keeps telling me that's dumb.' He said: 'Invest in yourself. It's always the best investment.' I realize I'm very, very fortunate to have that ability."
Q: Exactly how much did you put in?
A: "All of it, so I know exactly how much. We worked with the union ... and the maximum you could spend was $7.2 million dollars and we came in below that."
Q: Julianne Moore was the first actor on board. How did you convince a triple Oscar nominee like her to sign on?
A: "I've known her for a long time. I've dressed her. We're friends. At one point, I said something to her about being sweet to consider this part. She said: 'I'm not sweet. I like the script. I wouldn't do this if I didn't love the script.'"
Q: You had someone else in the lead before Colin Firth.
A: "Colin was my first choice, but he wasn't available because he was going to be shooting 'Dorian Gray.' So I cast another actor but when our production schedule moved, he dropped out. Colin was wrapping 'Dorian Gray.'"
Q: He won best actor at the Venice film festival. Now there's talk about a shot at an Oscar. What do you think?
A: "He absolutely deserves an Oscar. We shot this film in 21 days, shooting night and day and Colin's in every single scene. He has an ability to show an enormous amount of what his character is thinking or feeling without moving his face -- just telegraphing it. That was very important for this character."
Q: Every person in this movie is drop dead model gorgeous -- like they could appear in one of your fashion campaigns.
A: "Honestly, I didn't even notice it was populated with beautiful people. Although Colin's character is going through what may be the last day of his life, so he's struck by beauty everywhere. I believe in a kind of enhanced reality. A long time ago, movies used to be that way. If I were working in a different era, I would have had to have been at MGM."
Q: How so?
A: "Alfred Hitchcock -- and I'm certainly not comparing myself to him -- everything he did was stylized and every single person was gorgeous. It was enhanced reality. Style without substance isn't worth very much."
(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Patricia Reaney)

MEN'S FALL FASHION: JACKETS

12 Designers' Fall Fashion Choices

Imagine a world in which everything, from our financial system to our 
international relations, can be reset and reinvented every six months. 
Sounds pretty nice, right? That's one of the great things about 
fashion: Each new season gives men an opportunity to start all 
over again.

PRADA. Miuccia Prada has always been one of those designers who can see around corners, and for fall she's picturing legions of men returning to work wearing classic shapes and sober colors: beefy, double-breasted jackets and coats with wide lapels, trim wool trousers hemmed with thick cuffs, and round-toed shoes that look damn near indestructible. Double-breasted wool overcoat ($2,895), double-breasted wool jacket ($1,555), cotton shirt ($430), wool trousers ($595), and leather shoes ($695) by Prada.

BOTTEGA VENETA. If there's anything Tomas Maier doesn't know about making soft, deconstructed clothing, you wouldn't know it from looking at his new collection for Bottega Veneta. Suede, cashmere, and flannel make up the guts and glory of his easy-fitting suits and coats, and even the brand's woven leather bags have a lived-in texture that speaks to the times. Wool coat ($2,750), cotton shirt ($420), cashmere tie ($390), and woven leather weekend bag ($3,980) by Bottega Veneta.

RALPH LAUREN. Ralph Lauren is pretty much in a league of his own when it comes to combining subtly distressed sportswear (weathered leather bombers, worn-in jeans, crumpled button-down shirts) with classic tweed and flannel tailoring. That he does it so successfully this season, and that so many other designers seem to be following his lead, suggests the perfect marriage of a man and a moment. Leather jacket ($1,395), wool jacket ($795), and wool tie ($115), Polo by Ralph Lauren; cotton shirt ($125) by Ralph Lauren.

BURBERRY. In Christopher Bailey's vision for the fall, we'll all be back in business wearing dark shades — blacks, grays, and midnight blues, with a dash of deep greens and purples — and suits, overcoats, and trenches with rounded shoulders and generous fits. Just because the times are serious doesn't mean one can't be comfortable. Wool overcoat ($2,995), two-button wool tweed jacket ($1,795), cotton-and-linen shirt ($450), and cotton-and-wool trousers ($895) by Burberry; leather loafers ($1,500) by Berluti; leather briefcase ($2,600) by Louis Vuitton; vintage whangee Fox Paragon umbrella ($40) from eBay.

GIORGIO ARMANI. With its natural shoulders and ample helpings of cashmere, flannel, and velvet, Giorgio Armani's new collection has all the deconstructed luxury that first made him a star in the U. S. in the early 1980s. Then, as now, Americans were reaching for soft tailoring to ease their way out of the economic doldrums, and now, as then, they'll find it in Armani. Two-button wool jacket (part of suit, $1,145), cotton shirt ($315), and wool trousers ($435) by Armani Collezioni.

VERSACE. Among Donatella Versace's priorities for men this fall, looking sharp and staying warm seem tied for the top spot. From her belted shawl cardigans and turtleneck sweaters to her white wool suits and tweed overcoats, she's committed to helping men weather this season's storms. Umbrella not included.
Double-breasted wool overcoat ($4,885) and wool-and-silk trousers ($625) by Versace; cotton shirt ($250) by Versace Collection; leather shoes ($595) by Fratelli Rossetti; umbrella ($940) by Bottega Veneta.

CALVIN KLEIN. Italo Zucchelli loves himself some gray, and this season the Calvin Klein designer is using all different shades of it (with some blue and white thrown in for variety) to fashion clothes both traditional (classically tailored tweed overcoats) and modern (nylon shirts and high-tech padded jackets).
Wool overcoat ($3,495), cotton shirt ($295), wool tie ($175), and silk-wool-and-cashmere trousers ($675) by Calvin Klein Collection; leather shoes ($1,265) by John Lobb; leather attach‚ case ($598) by Coach.

LOUIS VUITTON. This is a leather jacket, but turn it inside out and it's also a cashmere jacket; such a canny combination of comfort, ruggedness, and versatility summarizes a lot of what Paul Helbers (Louis Vuitton's design director) and Marc Jacobs (the company's creative director) are up to with their tailoring and outerwear this fall. The jackets and pants fit a little looser, the coats feel a little softer, and the men who wear them relish the comfort that comes only from wearing supremely well made clothes.
Calfskin-and-cashmere reversible jacket ($5,000), wool sweater ($700), and wool trousers ($700) by Louis Vuitton; ceramic Ingenieur Automatic watch ($7,400) by IWC.

DOLCE & GABBANA. Chunky cashmere sweaters, velvet smoking jackets, and big, enveloping shearling add a layer of volume and softness to the design pair's reliably trim business and cocktail suits. The Dolce & Gabbana customer is still a creature of the night, but his evenings just got a whole lot more comfortable.
Wool-and-silk sweater ($1,495), wool-and-silk vest ($1,150), cotton shirt ($495), silk tie ($165), and wool-and-silk trousers (part of suit, $2,895) by Dolce & Gabbana; stainless-steel Speedmaster Broad Arrow watch with leather strap ($5,280) by Omega.

DRIES VAN NOTEN. Our favorite Belgian (sorry Mr. Van Damme!) has a record of making men's clothes that are at once forward-looking and uncannily familiar. We think it might be his super-naturally acute eye for detail. Take, for example, his tightly focused fall collection. There is something of a 1950s austerity about it: big, heavy belted coats and thick, tweedy suits, their collars turned ever upward, protection perhaps from the winds of change.
Wool overcoat ($1,773), two-button wool suit ($1,580), and cotton shirt ($297) by Dries Van Noten; steel-and-titanium Santos 100 Black Collection watch ($7,000) by Cartier.

PAUL SMITH. Looking at Paul Smith's new collection brings to mind Noël Coward's famous line about work being more fun than fun. Style, in Smith's hands, is more fun than fun, with his eclectic, appealing blend of tailoring and sportswear made up of punchy plaids, checks, and argyles.
Two-button wool Black Watch tartan jacket ($1,570) and vest ($785), cotton shirt ($535), and wool trousers ($820) by Paul Smith; stainless-steel chronograph ($295) by Seiko.

GUCCI. Deploying razor-sharp, slim-fitting suits as well as a few variations on some of the fall's strongest recurring themes, e.g., tweed suits, plush velvet jackets, and the almighty double-breasted coat, Frida Giannini is giving the Gucci man an extra shot of swagger for the fall.
Moleskin coat ($1,660), two-button three-piece wool suit ($2,125), cotton shirt ($370), and silk tie ($180) by Gucci; leather shoes ($480) by Cesare Paciotti; umbrella ($940) by Bottega Veneta.

(Source: Esquire)

SUPERSTAR: OSCAR DE LA RENTA

New York – In case you were wondering, before Oscar de la Renta turned to fashion, he was the proprietor of a hot Parisian nightclub, Le Sexy J'adore. At least, that was the tall tale that Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, told Thursday night, Oct. 22, as host of Fashion Group International's annual Night of Stars. Weaving in lurid scenes that included the various honorees, from Michael Kors as "bouncer" to Gucci's Frida Giannini, who "found the naughtiest, chicest gals in the Western Hemisphere," Doonan spun a hilarious, "Mad Libs"-like yarn that set a rollicking tone for the evening's ceremony, titled "The Storytellers."
"I think all forms of art tell a story, or state an opinion, but I think fashion is the art form that touches us the most right now," said actress Emmy Rossum, wearing a gold twist goddess gown by Donna Karan, ruminating on fashion's storytelling power. "I mean, you wear it everyday, and we're constantly bombarded by images and you can use it to show how we feel about life and ourselves and what image we want to project to the world. It's the first thing people see, what you're wearing."
Each year, Night of Stars gives out accolades to the top guns in design, from fashion to architecture to beauty. Oscar de la Renta, whose career has spanned the past six decades, took home the "Super Star" award last night, while fashion designers Michael Kors and Frida Giannini, hat designer Stephen Jones and jewelry designer Victoire de Castellane, known for her baubles for Dior, all were "Star Honorees."
"I couldn't be happier that I was asked to present this award to Oscar this season, because I really did love his collection this time," said Grace Coddington, creative director at Vogue, who co-presented the award to de la Renta with another Vogue editor, Hamish Bowles. "He's surprisingly young, even though he's not so young. I hope to see young people in his clothes, because I felt that he really looked at that and he was up there with all the other young designers. A lot of people, when they get older, they sort of fade a bit. But not him."
Other award recipients included Renzo Rosso of Diesel for "Corporate Leadership," Kenneth Cole for the "Humanitarian Award," Clodagh in architecture, Paula Wallace of Savannah College of Art and Design for "Sustainability" and Catherine Walsh in beauty. Television station Bravo took home the Lord & Taylor Fashion Oracle Award.
After bites of lobster tail and mushroom risotto, the crowd's attention turned toward presenters like burlesque performer Dita Von Teese, who said she was in disbelief "that they actually let me speak," when she presented the award to Stephen Jones, wearing one of his hat creations.
Presenters and honorees gushed back and forth in their speeches in an impromptu mutual appreciation society, though often somewhat confusedly - "He's more generous with his words than he is with his deeds," said Cole to his presenter and friend Jon Bon Jovi, who had just rattled off Cole's lifetime of humanitarian achievements such as his work with Amfar, an AIDS charity.
Hip-hop singer Mary J. Blige, who co-presented the award to Giannini with actor James Franco, said, "I'm not going to stand up here and pretend that I've known Frida all my life. But I've been a Gucci girl for as long as I can remember."
Earlier that day, Giannini and Blige officially opened the first Mary J. Blige Center for Women in Yonkers, N.Y., which Gucci helped underwrite.
In his introduction to de la Renta, Hamish Bowles noted that he was a "champion domino player" and a "crooner with the honey voice that filled the air on Fashion's Night Out," while Grace Coddington simply stated, "Oscar, you're totally awesome. What else can I say?"
"I have to thank you all because I've been having a wonderful, extraordinary time," said de la Renta in his acceptance speech. "I've had the opportunity to do what I love most, doing for women the best that I can."

GUCCI for ANGELINA

International beauty & Tinseltown screen siren, Angelina Jolie is in the final talks to take up the role of a femme fatale in a drama on the fashion design empire Gucci.

'Titanic' star Leonardo Di Caprio is being approached to play ex-husband to Jolie's onscreen advisary in the film, reported Variety magazine.

Should the deal go through, the 34-year-old actress is expected to play Patrizia Reggiano, the ex-wife of Maurizio Gucci who was sentenced to 29 years in jail for plotting Maurizio's murder.

The film, named 'Gucci' and to be directed by Ridley Scott, will center on Gucci and the turnaround he brought to the Gucci empire before he was murdered in front of his Milan apartment in 1995.

Fox 2000, producers of the film, is looking forward to hire a scribe to rewrite the script in hopes that it will recapture the glamorous days of the Gucci family dynasty in the 1970s and '80s.
Filming of the movie is slated to start next year.

TREND OF THE DAY: EMOTIONAL BAGGAGE

Knock-off bags, if worn seriously, are not chic. Futhermore, a bag needs to perform, and knockoffs are not made with durability or integrity in mind. If your bank account doesn't comprehend Yves Saint Laurent, take a note from the movie "Sex in the City" and try Bag, Borrow, or Steal (http://www.bagborroworsteal.com/) and just rent a designer bag. My favorite is the Gucci 'Babouska' Large Hobo Handbag. (photo, left)