In his role as creative director for the Gucci Group, designing collections for both Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, Tom Ford was central to early twenty-first-century fashion. Under Ford's direction, creativity and innovation shared equal value with marketing and promotion in the positioning of the brands. Born in 1962 and raised in San Marcos, Texas, and Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ford first began his career as a model for television advertisements before studying interior design at Parsons School of Design in New York City. In his final year of school, he changed his focus to fashion design. As a freelance designer on Seventh Avenue, he first worked for Cathy Hardwick and then in 1988 in the jeans department of Perry Ellis, under the short-lived direction of Marc Jacobs. Today he designs everything from shoes, clothing, bags, and sunglasses. O'Neill, Alistair. "Ford, Tom." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, 2005. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. .

"Evening Ensemble." The Berg Fashion Library. The Berg Fashion Library, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2013. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .

Marie, Cassee. Lessons From Tom Ford To An Unlikely Fashionista. Writing in Style Living in Elegance Blog. 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 6 Oct. 2011. .