As dedicated followers of fashion, we've been sulking ever since Tom Ford hung up his scissors and decided to take a break from womenswear. We bought the perfume and the aftershave but nothing filled the gap. Until, that is, we saw A Single Man, Ford's directorial debut.
Starring Oscar-nominated Colin Firth as college lecturer George, a man drowning in grief after the death of Jim (Matthew Goode) his partner of 16 years and Julianne Moore as Charley, his gin-soaked best friend who can't quite accept that George is not in love with her, A Single Man is set on one day, when George decides that life is no longer worth living and sets about saying goodbye.
As you'd expect from notorious perfectionist Tom Ford, (who, by the way, also wrote the screenplay and produced the film - hello, over-achiever anyone?), A Single Man is all about the details. The minutiae of George's everyday existence and routines seem somehow extraordinary in light of their finality and when his sweet and earnest student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) interrupts his plans, he's forced to think again.
Set in Los Angeles in 1962, A Single Man is a profoundly moving tale, but what really sealed the deal for us was the stunning beauty of it. Every micro-second of it is styled to perfection, from George's perfect mid-century house, with its draws of identical rows of white shirts and black socks, to the über-chic hipster college students in the throws of a sexual revolution. Watch out for the scene where George meets Carlos, played by supermodel Jon Kortajarena, outside the liquor store. He's so handsome we nearly fainted (bottom left).
Most of all though, we fell in love with glamorous bohemian Charley, whose days seem to revolve around amazing eye-make-up, gorgeous clothes, gin and parties - not necessarily in that order. Julianne Moore looks more incredible than ever, brooding over her life disappointments but somehow still maintaining an air of utter fabulousness. If this is what Ford whips up on his first attempt, we can't wait to see his next project.
A Single Man is released on Friday 12 February, but to whet your appetite we've got all the action from the UK premiere for you to feast on...
Clip: From the premiere of A Single Man, held in London.
Pictures: Stills from the film A Single Man.
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