Columnist Tom Ford: 'I'm probably the only man in England who doesn't want to dress in drag'

At a certain stage in life, low lighting - as Tom Ford, arch flatterer and incorrigible improver knows better than most - is a prerequisite for harmonious close encounters. Today the dimmer in his walnut-y London HQ is set so low that for several minutes, his musings appear to be emanating from a bowl of white hydrange

Once the eyes adjust, Ford and his spectacularly neat facial topiary (not even a tinge of grey) morph before me in his customary dark slim suit and blinding white shirt - the human equivalent of an After Eight.
He always wears suits. Sometimes three piece because, he says, the waistcoat doubles as a corset. It's a bit formal isn't it? "Everyone in England wears a suit," he reasons.