one of the most anticipated shows from the s/s 2011 season was tom ford, as he was re-entering the realm of womenswear (to much fanfare). over a year later, ford has not just launched beauty, but has expanded his reach beyond his own boutiques. berdgorf goodman and select neiman marcus locations have opened tom ford shop-in-shops, which offer the tom ford experience in a more initimate setting. the san francisco store is one of four neiman marcus locations in the country that carry women’s, men’s and beauty. on tuesday, they hosted a small party to toast the opening of the beauty boutique on the first floor, womenswear on three, and menswear on the lower level.
the womenswear space features a long cream soft with an ebony framed glass case, steel wardrobes, and mirrored walls, which showcase the bags and accesories beautifully. yes the clothes were fab (like velvet tuxedos, dramatic collar jackets, and sleek pencil skirts) but the jewelry, like this hammered gold lace cuff were amazing. mens has a similar setup with leather ottomans, pull-out ebony wood drawers that house shirts and ties, and a section for made-to-measure suiting.
before heading upstairs, i was introduced to the beauty line by meredith, a tom ford beauty artist, who walked me through the collection. she said tom’s vision was to create a line that would bring out a woman’s best features and give her dewy skin, a strong brow, and sculpted cheeks. there’s an illuminating primer (with SPF), stick foundation (which can be used as concealer, very light and blendable), a contouring palette (which features a highlight and shading cream) and more. the brow sculptuor is cool and has a slanted, calligraphy tip to draw thick or thin strokes, and includes a sharpener and a grooming brush.
after seeing many images of tom ford’s advertising, i was expecting lots of bold and dramatic color in the line, but there are a good range of neutrals and easy to wear colors for everyday. i asked her to create a look for me that would work for day, which is what you see here. i loved the eyes, where she used the burnished umber palette, which included more reddish brown and gold tones, and the lip gloss, pink guilt, which is a gorgeous rose gold.
two positives from the line: makeup comes in a range of colors, so for foundation and powders, there is something for a variety of skintones. the pigments in the lip and eye colors are saturated, so it’s easy to make the color softer or richer. the one big negative is the price: nail lacquer is $30 (chanel is $25 and it always seemed like the ceiling for me), while many pieces are in the $50-75 range (and the brushes and some skin treatments are over $100). if it’s something you’ll wear often, the high price may be worth it.
it’s definitely worth checking out the clothes and beauty lines for the fun and glamour of it all. who wouldn’t want to be a ford girl for a day (or a few hours)?