Ford Ahead! It’s Tom Ford’s 54th Birthday – We Look Back At His Best Quotes Yet

It's Tom Ford's 54th birthday today, and there are few people on earth who have as much reason to celebrate as him.

For in just 54 years, he has not only been Creative Director for Gucci and YSL (arriving at Gucci group when it was virtually bankrupt, leaving it in 2004, when it was worth a 'mere' $10BILLION) but he has directed critically-acclaimed film *A Single Man *(Oscar, BAFTA and Goden Globe nominated), is set to direct a new film *Nocturnal Animals, *starring Amy Adams (produced by George Clooney), and is also, ehem, the founder/owner/designer of his own eponymous label.

Through Tom Ford (the brand), Ford (the man) originally produced perfumes and cosmetics, designed in collaboration with Estée Lauder and former Gucci CEO, Domenico de Sole. In 2006, Ford launched his own menswear collection – in association with Ermenegildo Zegna – and in 2010, returned to womenswear. He was most secretive about his inaugural 'own label' collection for the latter, presenting it in his flagship Madison Avenue store to a small, exclusive circle of friends (you know, Beyoncé, Lulu Guinness et cetera).

In 2013, he officially joined the schedule for London Fashion Week and began to show his menswear collections at London Collections: Men. His latest presentation there, in June, was lauded by the press, who hailed his return to precision tailoring, with his Sixties and Andy Warhol-inspired eveningwear which included kaleidoscopic, psychedelic – totally fabulous – fabrics and prints.

It seems the man can do no wrong. And indeed, he can say no wrong. No matter how outrageous, the wit and wisdom of Tom Ford is often documented, and indeed quoted – again and again, no less.

So, to celebrate his 54th birthday, we have decided to document it too, and hereby present a selection of our favourite comments, quotes and musings from the great man himself...

On him...

'I'm a perfectionist to the point of insanity' (Vogue Festival, 2013)

'I probably do have an obsessive personality but striving for perfection has served me well'

'I just don't let fear stand in the way of something I really want to do'

'When I come home, I take off all my clothes and I wear no clothes until I leave. I eat naked. I do everything completely naked.'

'Do I throw tantrums? Yes. But more with Richard [Buckley, his husband] at home if he's forgotten to buy milk.'

On men...

'A man should never wear shorts in the city. Flip-flops and shorts in the city are never appropriate'

'Men don’t wear fashion any more except in Italy and London. Americans have lost that' (Vogue, 2013)

'Richard [his husband] hardly ever has anything nice to say about my work. It’s my mother all over again'

On women...

'I feel that I am keyed into the female consciousness' (New York Times)

'When I was young, men were very attracted to me, and teenage girls were attracted to me, but women weren’t, and now women are very attracted to me. So I think that I know what kind of men women want' (New York Times)

'First of all, I love women' (2011)

'I believe everyone's on a sliding scale of sexuality. There are moments where I am sexually attracted to women. But it doesn't overpower my first impulse; my lust for them is the same as my lust for beauty in all things' (2011)

'My goal is to help women become the best version of themselves'

On work...

'I couldn't have cared less about Gucci when I first went there – but soon after I arrived, I cared a lot'

'I’ve been guilty of provocation but it's also just common sense marketing – put a bottle of scent in a woman's cleavage, or between her thighs – and men will notice'

[On a Gucci show look] 'She needs to have a few drinks and cry a little – then she'll be perfect'

'When I shaved G for Gucci into the model's pubic hair it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek statement about branding – we had Gucci emblazoned on everything in those days – so I said, 'why not the pubic hair too?' It wasn’t just about sex'

'While fashion is exciting because it changes all the time, it is also fleeting. Film, though, is forever. In a way therefore, film is the ultimate design project' (Radio 4, 2010)

On homelife...

'My real life's not like the fantasy Tom Ford world – with naked girls pouring perfume everywhere. It's more, staying in and watching Friends on television'

[On being a father to Alexander John 'Jack' Buckley Ford (2)] 'I swore that I wouldn't be one of those parents who leaves a Bugaboo pram parked in the communal entry hall. Well guess what? Ours is there right now' [Vogue, 2013]

On life...

'If sluttiness is what you like, what's wrong with that? Why do we think being a slut's bad? Sluttiness is just a lot of freedom.'

'I know one day I'll be irrelevant... I could absolutely die tomorrow – I would not care. I feel like I've lived, I feel like I've had a great life' (2011)