Tom and his Muses

In early 2006, Ford was asked to be the guest editor and creative director for the February 2006 Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair. The cover was originally planned to showcase three of Hollywood's most promising young actresses in the nude -- Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, and Rachel McAdams -- but McAdams was excluded from the shot after refusing to appear nude; she was replaced with a clothed Ford. The issue generated criticism, with many claiming that it further perpetuated the need for Hollywood actresses to be sexual icons, since the edition featured no nude actors inside the magazine while featuring several nude actresses, including Angelina Jolie.

In 1990, Gucci's creative director Dawn Mello recruited him to design women's ready-to-wear, and Ford later moved on to become the chief director for Gucci. Ford called French editor Carine Roitfeld and Peruvian photographer Mario Testino and asked them to help him revamp the old fashioned house. By 1999, Ford had helped propel Gucci into a fashion power worth over $4 billion. When Gucci acquired the house of Yves Saint-Laurent, Ford was named the creative director of that label as well.

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