UPDATED: Is Keira Knightley The Best Choice For Tom Ford?

by Justin Fenner | 2:45 pm, February 2nd, 2011

UPDATE: Fashion Etc. reported today that Keira Knightley has NOT been signed as the face of Tom Ford‘s women’s collection. Looks like all of our worrying was for naught! Find out why we thought Knightley would have been a bad choice below.

***

Tom Ford‘s women’s collection is the coolest thing to happen to ready-to-wear in years, so it would make sense that when it came time to name a face for the brand, the designer and his considerably knowledgeable marketing team would pick a face that was just as cool. Right?

Well, maybe not. Catwalk Queen reports that Keira Knightley will be the brand’s first official face — and not just for a few seasons — for six years. To seal the deal, Ford was interviewed for British Elle, and Knightley appeared in the magazine (and on its cover) wearing his clothes. The designer explained choosing her by saying:

“I absolutely love Keira. She is spectacular, very professional and I love her spirit. She’s beautiful in an English way; she has a little 1940s feel to her face – yet at the same time she always looks so young and modern.”

Now it’s not that we hate Knightley or anything, but she’s one of the last people who comes to mind when we think of the sophisticated, provocative charm of Ford’s clothing. She’s a little too scrubbed clean and scandal free, especially when you compare her to some of Ford’s other advertising (link is, of course, NSFW).

We also doubt whether she’ll be able to deal with Ford’s photographer of choice Terry Richardson for that long.

And maybe that comes from personal perception. Chanel was happy with Knightley as the face of the Coco Mademoiselle fragrance for several years. We also hear she’s big in Britain, which is where Ford’s business is headquartered. So that’s something.

But what we’re most concerned about is the fact that, other than Never Let Me Go, she’s kept a pretty low profile here recently, and brands are supposed to take advantage of a spokesperson’s cachet when they sign endorsement deals, not the other way around. We’re just not sold on the idea that Knightley is the right person to help make Ford’s clothes the next big thing.

Guess Who’ll Be The Face of Tom Ford Womenswear For the Next Six Years [The Gloss]
CQ Watch: Keira Knightley’s for Elle PLUS details of her deal with Tom Ford [Catwalk Queen]

keira knightley Keira Knightley Tom Ford Tom Ford Tom Ford Ads Tom Ford Women's Wear

Follow Us

Tips

Style Dish

click here for advertising opportunities