Tom Ford inspired by stylish grandmother

Tom Ford was inspired to enter the world of fashion by his "stylish" grandmother.

The designer - who launched his first womenswear collection in six years in 2010 with a star-studded fashion show - revealed it was the influence of his "larger than life" grandmother who first made him consider fashion as a career.

He told Interview magazine: "My grandmother was probably the first person who I thought was beautiful. She was incredibly stylish, she had big hair, big cars. I was probably 3 years old, but she was like a cartoon character. She always smelled great and looked great. She always had the latest things.

"She was larger than life to me, even as an adult, but when I was a child it was really like she was from another planet. It seemed like she lived in a different world, and wherever that was, I wanted to go."

Although the former Gucci creative director works with stunning models on a daily basis he thinks someone cannot be truly beautiful if they don't have a good personality.

He explained: "It's my business to make a woman or a man beautiful, and I'm working with a model in a fitting, and I've objectified them to the point that they become an object. They're something that I'm shaping or sculpting, but I'm very aware that even though I make them physically beautiful, their soul and personality and character is somewhat detached from that.

"It's great when you have a combination of the two- that's what makes a true beauty. Some people are physically beautiful but yet they're completely uninteresting, and thus they're not beautiful. I detach the two."