Tyler Watamanuk on how a coffee-table book published twenty years ago is still as popular as ever. This story was originally published in Prune, our free design and interiors newsletter.
Tom Ford by Tom Ford sounds like it could be a diffusion label, but it’s a massive coffee-table book published by Rizzoli in the mid-aughts, right after the lascivious American designer departed from Gucci. He was given author credit alongside powerhouse editor Bridget Foley. The one-two punch of coastal media elite Anna Wintour and Graydon Carter wrote the foreword and introduction.
It remains in circulation today, where it has morphed into an empty object of decor as much as a 400-page printed book. And for that, you can probably thank TikTok, where “Tom Ford Book” has clocked nearly two billion views.
There is a diverse ecosystem of book-related content to scroll through. Some are unboxing videos and “how I styled it” videos made by the type of TikTokers with gray hardwood floors and affiliate-link Amazon storefronts. Others have posted videos of finding copies on the discount shelves of Home Goods, HomeSense, and T.J. Maxx, where the price is slashed from $140 to as low as $40. If that still feels too pricey, Etsy sells a $24 Tom Ford “book box” made from “first-class cardboard,” and other websites sell them for as low as $16. There are even several “DIY tutorials” showing how to make your own with black paint and IKEA boxes. (The decoy makes an excellent spot to hide remotes, apparently.)
|  | Jan 10, 2024 |
|
|  | Dec 15, 2023 |
|
|  | Oct 6, 2023 |
|
|  | Nov 3, 2023 |
|
|  | Jul 13, 2022 |
|
