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Few figures in modern fashion have shaped the industry as decisively—or as personally—as Tom Ford. Born in Texas, Ford studied architecture at Parsons before pivoting to fashion, a move that would ultimately redefine luxury in the late 20th century. His rise was meteoric. In the 1990s, he revived the venerable but struggling Italian brand Gucci from near-bankruptcy, injecting the label with a provocative, high-gloss sensuality that made it a global powerhouse. He later oversaw Yves Saint Laurent, becoming one of the most influential creative directors of his generation.
In 2005, Ford stepped away from the conglomerate system to launch his own eponymous label, building an empire spanning menswear, womenswear, beauty, and eyewear. The brand’s restrained glamour and exacting standards mirrored Ford’s own sensibility. In early 2023, he cashed out in spectacular fashion, selling his New York–based company to Estée Lauder in a deal valued at $2.8 billion. The sale marked both a culmination and a turning point, freeing Ford from the demands of day-to-day designing while cementing his legacy as a business force.
Ford’s creative ambitions, however, have never been confined to just clothing. He has carved out a respected second career in film, directing A Single Man (2009) and Nocturnal Animals (2016), both critically acclaimed, and over the years has quietly assembled—and just as quietly shed—an extraordinary collection of architecturally significant homes, from a Tadao Ando–designed ranch in New Mexico to modernist landmarks in Los Angeles, Paris, and London. Below is a closer look at his most recent acquisitions and the design-driven portfolio that continues to take shape.
Los Angeles
Image Credit: Google Earth Though he previously owned numerous homes around the world, Ford’s first major real estate move of the past decade came in late 2016, when he quietly bought a landmark Holmby Hills estate for $38.75 million. The nine-bedroom, roughly 10,000-square-foot home dates to the 1920s and was long owned by legendary society hostess Betsy Bloomingdale, whose dinner parties once drew everyone from Hollywood royalty to sitting presidents. Set across 3.5 acres, the Hollywood Regency–style compound includes a tennis court, rose garden, pool house, and a series of formal entertaining spaces that feel tailor-made for old-school glamour. After taking ownership, Ford extensively overhauled the house and grounds and has allegedly explored selling the property in recent years.
New York City
Image Credit: Google Maps In 2019, Ford finally stopped checking into the beloved Carlyle Hotel and bought a permanent base in New York instead, paying $18 million for the former home of the mononymic fashion legend Halston. The 7,500-square-foot, four-story townhouse was designed in the 1960s by iconoclast modernist architect Paul Rudolph and is one of the most distinctive private residences in Manhattan, defined by its steel-and-glass façade, floating staircases, daring catwalks, and a dramatic sunken living room illuminated by a towering skylight.
The purchase was deeply personal. Ford reportedly first visited the house as a teenager and has said it left a lasting impression. Rather than modernize it, he aimed to restore Rudolph’s original vision for Halston, making only light cosmetic changes.
Palm Beach
Image Credit: Google Earth Ford made one of his boldest moves in May 2023, trading a recently purchased modern mansion in Palm Beach for the historic Casa della Porta. While the financial terms of the swap were never disclosed, local agents estimated the property’s value at around $100 million, instantly placing it among Palm Beach’s most valuable private residences.
Built in the late 1920s for automotive executive William McAneeny, the 17,400-square-foot Mediterranean-style mansion was designed by society architect Maurice Fatio, who reportedly called it the greatest house he ever created. The landmark property sits on over 1.5 acres in the ultra-exclusive Estate Section and is known for its coral-stone façade, sweeping loggias, ornate coffered ceilings, and a Romanesque entryway carved by Italian artisans.
Aspen
Image Credit: Google Earth Later that same year, Ford quietly entered Aspen’s ultra-competitive luxury market, paying $42.25 million for a newly completed contemporary home on Red Mountain. The deal flew under the radar at the time, despite being one of the town’s larger residential transactions of the year. Designed by Ro Rockett Design, the 9,500-square-foot, six-bedroom house had last been asking just under $45 million. The home appears to cantilever out from a stone base, taking full advantage of sweeping mountain views through expansive walls of glass that open to multiple terraces and interior courtyards.
East Hampton
Image Credit: Google Earth By August 2023, Ford had landed one of the Hamptons’ most storied estates, paying $52 million for Lasata, a seven-acre East Hampton compound dating back to 1917. The Arts and Crafts–style estate is best known as the childhood summer home of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, making it one of the region’s most historically resonant properties. It was later owned by fashion designer Reed Krakoff and interior designer Delphine Krakoff.
The roughly 8,500-square-foot main house includes eight bedrooms, tall casement windows, and beamed ceilings, with additional guest and caretaker cottages, a poolhouse, and expansive grounds. Previous owners undertook a meticulous restoration involving top-tier designers and artisans, preserving the estate’s character while modernizing it for contemporary living.
London
Image Credit: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images Ford’s most recent acquisition takes his property portfolio across the pond. In 2024, he quietly purchased a stucco-fronted mansion in London’s Chelsea neighborhood for a reported £80 million ($104 million), making it one of the most expensive residential transactions in the U.K. that year. As with several of his other deals, the sale only became public months after closing.
This is not the first home he’s owned in London, or even his first in Chelsea; Ford previously owned a home on quite Gilston Road that records show lands changed hands in 2021.
Source: Luxury - robbreport.com
