FASHION Magazine

Fashion Television (RIP) was ahead of its time in several ways, and here is one of them: In 1985, when executive producer Jay Levine launched the program, he imagined it might become a channel for short narrative videos about clothing. Fashion films, now so inescapable a phenomenon, were then just a thought without a name: if music videos could revolutionize the way we consume pop, couldn’t a little cinematography do the same for clothing? The ’70s had seen then-living legends Guy Bourdin and Richard Avedon experiment with the moving image, and as film-recording cameras became less expensive, it seemed likely they’d land in the hands of younger, emerging lensmen. As MTV was to music videos, so might Fashion Television be to this new mode of image-making.

For those of you who missed it, Tom Ford was on television last night, speaking almost no stop for a whole hour. About things like baths, mid-life crises, and leaving Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. Visionaries: Inside the Creative Mind, a series of OWN documentaries looking at the top creative minds, followed the designer for the past year or so, through the intimate launch of his womenswear collection last September to the opening of his store in Beverley Hills earlier this year. Throughout the hour, the designer/genius/demigod throws out so many quotables about fashion, branding, style, and art that we’ve lost count. Here though, are the top six most unexpected:

Featured from left to right: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream skin protectant ($25, at Shoppers Drug Mart) was used to give skin a sheen in A Single Man. Shu Uemura Essence Absolue nourishing protective oil ($68, shuuemura.com) makes damaged strands “shine like baby hair,” says Cornell. Chapstick ($3, at Shoppers Drug Mart) in “Cherry” is offers’ go-to lip tint.

Almost every season, Hollywood has a way of asserting its influence on the runways, with leading ladies from contemporary and iconic films inspiring makeup and hair at several shows. For Fall 2011 alone, makeup artist Val Garland painted a smoky eye at Sophie Theallet to evoke a modern-day Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde, while at Dsquared, she channelled Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain. And Garland wasn’t the only one mining imdb for muses. Hairstylist Eugene Souleiman had Hailee Steinfeld in mind while he weaved what he refers to as “Amish/True Grit braids” at Kenzo.

Agyness Deyn and Orlando Bloom get all domestic for Chinese label Me & City. [Refinery 29]

The fashion world is extending yet another prestigious invitation to Tavi Gevinson: Fashion Television has enlisted the 13-year-old blogger to cover her choice of three shows–Alexander Wang, Y-3 and Marc Jacobs–at New York Fashion Week. The show’s regular host, one Jeanne Beker, will be in Vancouver covering the Olympics. [Toronto Life]

The lookbook for Zac Posen’s Target collection is out. [Fashionista]

As are non-camera phone pics of the Jean Paul Gaultier effort, which, in the cold light of lookbook shots, is not nearly as heart-racing. [Refinery 29]

Kate Moss is set to design a line of handbags for Longchamp to debut for spring/summer 2010. [Vogue UK]

After seeing Tom Ford’s spectacular directorial debut, A Single Man, my friend compared it to a two-hour long perfume commercial. She meant this as a compliment. The film contains characters of real dimension and weight, and sex appeal, which can also be said of the fragrances Ford himself has created. Ford had a hand in […]

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The Rodarte sisters were awarded a $50,000 grant as one of the 50 recipients of the 2009 US Artists Fellowships on Monday. [WWD] Hamish Bowles’ book signing for “The World in Vogue” took place at Oscar de la Renta’s LA store Monday night. Though the designer was not in attendance, guests like Lisa Love and […]

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Tom Ford’s A Single Man [watch the trailer] was picked up by the Weinstein company early Tuesday, shortly after the film’s premiere. An all-night negotiation led to the purchase, with Alliance picking up the Canadian release of the picture. Ford spoke up on the differences between film and fashion, and bristled at questions focused only on the latter. “Fashion is a commercially creative outlet, whereas film is purely impressionistic,” he said. The former Gucci designer went on to say that the film’s costumes were “to serve these characters. It wasn’t a costume parade for me.” [Eye Weekly, Toronto Life]

Even for the Toronto International Film Festival, Tom Ford’s presence in Toronto yesterday was a pretty heavy dose of glamour. The designer was in town yesterday to promote his directorial debut, A Single Man, which stars Colin Firth in an award-winning turn as a gay man in the 1960s who’s be set adrift after the death of his partner. After watching the trailer, it was no surprise to discover that the highly-stylized film shares a production designer with Mad Men. Julianne Moore also stars. The cast did a Q&A at the premiere–video after the jump.