November 27, 2016 |
I always think, whenever I gaze upon a Tom Ford collection, that its soundtrack should be, exclusively, by RuPaul. “Work! Supermodel! Wet your lips and make love to the camera. Work! Turn to the left. Work! Now turn to the right. Work! Sashay! Shanté!” It is the anthem of the Amazonian glamour woman, and Tom Ford is the king of Amazonian-glamour-woman fashions. Women who head purposefully down the runway, posing with legs astride and hands on hips when they reach the end, basking in the camera flashes, before artfully spinning on their heels and striding back. They ooze sex. You could orgasm just looking at them, which is why they are so beloved of the sexually frustrated and socially awkward. Why go through dating hell when a quick flick through a look book can get you off without having to leave the house? I always imagine a 1980s Princess Stéphanie to be the ultimate Tom Ford woman. The original prototype. This is, after all, a woman who once said, “I don’t see myself as a rebel, but of course it all depends on what you consider normal”, before rebelling against every aspect of royal protocol by becoming a model, a pop star, putting her name to a perfume, taking up with her bodyguard the same year The Bodyguard was released, then taking up with an elephant trainer and going to live in a circus caravan, before dumping him and marrying the acrobat. That is what I like to call a lady with balls. An Amazonian glamour woman. She knows exactly what she wants and will let nothing stand between her and it. She is the woman Tom Ford dresses. The kind of woman who communicates her power via a strong shoulder, nipped-in waist and an above-the-knee skirt, preferably in a rich tan leather, because what better way to offset your year-round tan than with tan? Take note also of how a power shoulder accentuates a naturally athletic shoulder, one honed through years of tennis and swimming, the sports of choice of the Amazonian glamour woman. She also likes to horse ride, hence her preference for a shorter hemline: all the better to show off her powerful thighs. She favours sheer for the evening as it adds an air of mystery. Is she wearing anything under that or not? The dress with the crazy bondage details over the black mesh is her favourite as it communicates her sense of fun. Unless it’s a black-tie gala. Then you wear full-length lace, which looks surprisingly like a spider’s web, recalling Morticia Addams, another powerful lady figure. When it comes to kicking ass, though, it’s all about a fragmented, mirrored jumpsuit. It’s best worn when being harassed by the paparazzi. They blind themselves with their own camera flashes as they bounce off your honed and mirrored physique, leaving you with a small window of opportunity to make off with the lion tamer.
Taken from Issue 40 of 10 Magazine, photographer Jason Lloyd-Evans
