Tom Ford

>> The International Herald Tribune is hosting its 10th annual luxury conference in London, where Suzy Menkes grilled Karl Lagerfeld earlier today on his thoughts of himself, his fellow designers, and his legacy. A few highlights, below.

On who the real Karl Lagerfeld is: "I am a cocktail."

On the current Hermes situation: "If you don't want to be taken over, don't put your business in the public market. Stay private like Chanel."

On designing: "I love my job. I have no idea of what it means to take yourself seriously. You have to be detached."

On the pecking order at Chanel: "Nobody tells me what to do at Chanel . . . I am there to be used. I like to be used, but only in the way I think I should be used."

On his legacy: "I was the blueprint for Tom Ford at Gucci, Alber Elbaz at Lanvin . . ."

On ego: "People think I'm on an ego trip, but I'm not. I can get out of people what they want to express but can't."

On how he embraces the digital world: "If you are against 'digital' in the world of today, you are lost . . . I don't use computers so much — they do what your brain is meant to do. But they are beautiful."

On taking from the past to translate for the future: "if you want to revive something you can't do it with respect. That's the kiss of death . . . you can only build if you destroy . . . I have no archives, I keep nothing. Other people can do that for me. I like now."

On his longevity: "I never think of what's going on after me. I never think of what's next. I only think of the moment."

On the recent onslaught of Chanel films: "I don't like the movies about Coco Chanel."

I recently sampled Tom Ford's unisex Azure Lime Eau de Parfum ($190-$465), and while I couldn't quite put my finger on why, it skewed a bit more dude-like than anything else. This got me to thinking: what makes a fragrance masculine or feminine anyway?

Packaging and marketing aside, generally speaking, women's scents tend to be lighter, sweeter, and are frequently found in the floral or oriental families. Men's scents tend to be strong, rich, woody, earthy, leatherish, herbaceous, and aromatic. Of course, other factors come into play in the universe of eau de what-have-you, like personal preference and the way a scent develops on the skin.

Speaking of the way a scent develops on the skin, it does make sense then that gendered fragrances tend to mimic the natural body odor or chemistry of a man or a woman. And as far as unisex scents go, fresh, citrusy scents tend to reign supreme in that category. Of course, there are all sorts of clichés and stereotypes in regards to male and female scents, but for you, what makes a fragrance masculine or feminine?

• Would you dare to rock these Steve Madden for Zac Posen shoes? — Refinery29
• Thierry Mugler taps Lady Gaga's stylist — WWD
• Crystal Renn on walking for Zac Posen — People
• Why The Row moved to Paris Fashion Week — Vogue UK
• Hot shot: backstage at Carolina Herrera — The Cut
• Tom Ford's gift to womankind — Vogue Daily
• MTV VMAs: Lady Gaga in Giorgio Armani and Franc Fernandez — Red Carpet Fashion Awards
• Doutzen's bundle of joy is a boy! — Modelinia
• Fashion's Night Out street style in NYC — Stylelist
• Erin Fetherston opens ecommerce — Erin Fetherston
• Chanel can make even an all-denim outfit work — Purse Blog

>> On this rainy evening in New York, Tom Ford welcomed a select few editors and guests to his Madison Avenue boutique for a secret preview of his womenswear relaunch, where they were met by "a group of beautiful greeters clad in black tie, each holding an oversized Tom Ford umbrella." Inside, Ford treated guests like Anna Wintour, Joe Zee, Nina Garcia, and Carine Roitfeld, seated in gilded bamboo chairs, to a couture-style presentation in which he introduced every model and garment, controlling the volume of the show's music as he talked, and beginning each time with a "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to introduce . . ."

He explained that he chose "women that inspired him" to model the clothes, and as Terry Richardson — Tom Ford's go-to campaign photographer — and his team documented the entire event, out came a parade of models — including Du Juan, Liu Wen, Karlie Kloss, Lakshmi Menon, Abbey Lee Kershaw, current Tom Ford eyewear face Freja Beha Erichsen, Anja Rubik, Daria Werbowy, Karen Elson, Natalia Vodianova, Liya Kebede, Stella Tennant, Chanel Iman, Amber Valletta, past Tom Ford eyewear face Carolyn Murphy, Monika "Jac" Jagaciak, Lauren Hutton, and Joan Smalls in an afro, of whom Ford said, "And she just turned me straight . . ."

Beyonce and Julianne Moore were there, too »

>> Lou Doillon isn't the only model of note in Tom Ford's womenswear relaunch preview on Sunday: The Daily reports that every model is a celebrity — Victoria Beckham and Beyonce Knowles are among those joining Doillon — and Ford is expected to walk the intimate group of guests through each look personally.

The entire thing is very hush-hush: only one photographer is allowed at the presentation — working directly under Ford — and photos aren't expected to be released until January — when the goods hit stores, in an effort to prevent counterfeit copies. Apparently everyone involved — from publicists to guests — have been required to sign confidentiality agreements.

UPDATE: Beckham is not partaking in the presentation, although Julianne Moore and Lauren Hutton reportedly are. [@jimshi809]

>> Lou Doillon to Walk in Tom Ford's Womenwear Preview —Spokespeople at Tom Ford wouldn't confirm that he'd be offering a first look at his upcoming womenswear line during the cocktail party he's hosting Sept. 12 in New York. However, on Sept. 4, Lou Doillon Tweeted, "I'll be in new york newt week, for the tom ford show !" And last night, she told WWD she'll be walking for Ford — so consider the preview confirmed. [@daloulou, WWD]