In the latest edition of The Edit, Tom Ford talks about his ten rules to great style. I relate to every word he says and every understated tip, especially the points I have decided to re-publish below – because I don’t think we talk often enough about and rely on the power of simplicity. Here are all his ten style commandments.
Find your uniform
If you have five outfits that you love wearing and always make you feel your best, which are comfortable and confident and just work, why do you need all the others? Yes, you need some variations on the theme – you don’t want to wear the exact same things every day – but I think it’s very important for everyone to figure out what their look is.
Don’t let fashion dictate to you
I always feel a little sad when I see a women head-to-toe in a runway look. Women also change their hair a lot, but if it’s done in an insecure way, that makes me feel sad, too. You have to make what you’re wearing your own.
Make an effort
No matter your own personal style, people have to look at you in the same way they have to look at a building, or a piece of art, or a table, or a new car. You become part of the photograph, the landscape, someone’s vision.
Don’t believe you need wardrobe essentials…
It isn’t about owning a classic white shirt or a black blazer – I know women who wear that and they look like they are doing a chic androgynous thing, and other women who look immediately like they work on Wall Street. It’s about your own taste, camouflaging the things you don’t like and accentuating the things you do.
Don’t underestimate the power of make-up
You can do everything with beauty, because it’s the character, it’s who you are. I find that fascinating. There was a trend a couple of years ago that saw women dressed casually in jeans, t-shirts and sneakers with mega makeup – I loved it. It’s a great way to express yourself that doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to have a lot of money.
photo: Pascal Chevallier for Vogue Australia October 1993 / Linda Evangelista in “Reality Chevk: A Bew Mood” / hair: Bruno Weppe / makeup: William Falkner
