FashionBeans Best Dressed 2009 – Number 1 – Tom Ford

Best Dressed Introduction

With 2009 done and dusted its time to look back through the year and give you Fashion Beans’ 5 Best Dressed Men of 2009. To find the Top 5 I have been asking the same question everywhere and to everyone, “Who do you think are the 5 best dressed men of 2009?” I have been planning this article for a while (since early December) and have had a huge response from facebook, twitter and with the street style guys and now that I’ve got everyone’s top 5 I can reveal the winners. Now I know everyone will not agree with the top 5 and will more than likely have a different top 5 depending on your own personal style and taste, but here are the most popular 5 I found from peoples answers.

Now as I said before these aren’t my top 5 these are the ones I found most popular from peoples answers, I look forward to reading you’re opinions and your own top 5.

No.1 – Tom Ford

Tom Ford has easily become one of today’s most influential fashion designers, which is no doubt why he’s number one on our list. After gaining his fashion experience with Perry Ellis, Tom Ford made a huge move in 1990 to Gucci, where a style icon was born. As an eager young designer and with Gucci on the verge of bankruptcy he saw an opportunity and used it to show his vision of style, competing with other lines, including women’s ready to wear range and menswear. Tom Ford had single handedly brought back the dying fashion house, with his glamorous clothing and provocative fragrance campaigns he revolutionised the way brands marketed themselves. Ford left Gucci in 2004 to launch his own line – Tom Ford – in 2005 and won the CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year award in 2008. As proof of his status as a style icon, Tom Ford was asked to create Daniel Craig’s wardrobe for Quantum of Solace in 2008.

The Tom Ford look is very suave and sophisticated yet still masculine. One guaranteed way to follow in his footsteps is to find a perfect fitting dark suit with strong shoulder, tapered waist and preferably bespoke if the price is within your budget. Another Tom Ford style statement is to not be afraid to leave an extra button open on a formal shirt when suiting up or my try a deep v-neck or scoop neck t-shirt when dressing casual rather than the same old standard fit tee. Finally to seal the top Ford look, when accessorising, keep it to a minimum, wear only one to two chic pieces of jewellery at a time.

Editor Opinion

Tom Ford just oozes sophistication and elegance. I mentioned yesterday that Beckham will always be one of the best dressed in any room… Tom Ford however will always be THE best dressed. His love for quality tailoring and formalwear means he always looks sharp, with clean lines and a masculine frame. As far as I am concerned, the suit might of well of been made for Ford, as every one he wears is a perfect example of how one should fit and look on any male. People say that his looks do not have enough variation compared to someone like Beckham, but this is a best dressed list not a “how many outfits you have” competition, and I defy anyone to tell me that this man ever looks anything but totally well put together.

Like Lee mentioned above, he shows variation in his outfits by using different colour suits and relaxing certain items to bring it down from true formal wear to just a sharp relaxed look. Notice how he leaves just one extra button undone on shirts, substitutes the tie for a silk scarf draped around the neck, or does something as simple as rolling up his sleeves. This is a look which any true professional who works a nine to five can get involved in, and it is also probably a bit more of a mature look for those approaching their thirties and beyond. The look is so elegant and sophisticated you cannot help be took seriously by everyone around you… it demands respect and if you can nail formalwear and specifically fit then you truly are a master of fashion.

You do not have to be as obsessive as Ford about formalwear, I am not saying we should all walk around in suits everyday because in a normal life it is not practical, but you need to take away a few key values from him. He ALWAYS looks his best, you will never find a picture of this man looking scruffy or unkempt, and every look is as sharp as the last. The way you can achieve this is by having a timeless and adaptable wardrobe – by knowing which looks work well and which items mix together, you can put together a great item even when in a rush. Everyone should have “go to” outfits for most situations (casual, formal, work) that you know look amazing and can be reached for when you need them.

Fit is the KEY point to take away here. Fit in any outfit is what will make or break it. For formal situations it is the be all and end all of how great you are going to look. An ill fitting suit, shirt or trousers looks horrendous and it doesn’t matter how much you spend on your items if they do not fit correctly. So even if you shop at Burton, Topman or any other budget high street store, get yourself measured by a professional tailor so you know your body size exactly and get existing items modified so they look and feel the best they possibly can. Until you do this you will never know just how much difference it can make to your confidence and look.

Personally for a best dressed list I think we all got this bang on, like I said this man always looks chic and suave but has strong frames and sharp lines which produce a very masculine look. We can all benefit from the Tom Ford approach to dressing.

Get The Look

On a Budget

So there you have it, Fashionbeans 5 Best Dressed Men of 2009. Commiserations to the guys that just missed out of the top 5 but received lots of votes such as; Alex Turner, George Lamb, Daniel Craig, Jonny Deep, Guy Ritchie and Pharell.

I hope you all enjoyed this collection of articles as I did writing them, thanks to everyone that voted and commented on the articles giving your own opinion.

Lee