Justin Timberlake Teams with Tom Ford: Suits & Ties Are Just the Beginning

Justin Timberlake is bringing sexy back (again), with the help of the designer

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Justin Timberlake attends the 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards in Tom Ford.

Justin Timberlake is bringing sexy back (again), with the help of Tom Ford. The singer-turned-actor-turned-businessman, who has been on a musical sabbatical since 2006’s FutureSex/LoveSounds, will release an album titled The 20/20 Experience on March 19. The first video release, a song called”Suit & Tie” in which Justin shares vocals with Jay-Z, prominently featured Ford’s creations.

The cover artwork for the single featured Timberlake in a tuxedo, starched white shirt and black bow tie, signature for Ford, and the lyric video showed the singer wearing a Ford three-piece suit, onyx cufflinks and leather loafers. Elsewhere in the video (which could easily be mistaken for a Ford ad) are a selection of ties, bow ties, leather gloves and patent leather lace-ups. Ford designed all of the suits in the video and contributed by styling the production as well.

According to an official announcement, “Ford worked closely with Timberlake and his team to provide made-to-measure tailoring, including evening wear, suiting, shirting, ties, shoes and accessories that will be a focal point of the The 20/20 Experience.”

“I adore Justin,” Ford told Vogue UK. “He has innate style and enormous talent. It has been such a pleasure and honour to work with him throughout this entire creative process.” The video gives a shout-out not only to Ford, but to designer Alexander Wang as well.

The designer and the singer have long shared a professional relationship: most recently, Timberlake wore head-to-toe Tom Ford to Screen Actor’s Guild Awards on Jan. 27, including a notch-lapel, slim-cut, silk-linen suit in a black, brown and grey checkered pattern, with a charcoal grey knit tie and finely checkered pale brown and white shirt. Even more noteworthy: Timberlake collaborated with Ford to design his custom black tuxedo (set off by a peak lapel jacket, crisply starched white shirt and bow tie) for his wedding to Jessica Biel on Oct. 19, 2012 at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Puglia, Italy.

In recent years, particularly without making music, Timberlake, has poured himself into his own casual fashion line, William Rast, acting in films and in business opportunities, including ventures ranging from restaurants to revamping the social networking site Myspace, of which he’s a part owner.

Timberlake will perform at this year’s Grammy Awards on Feb. 10. Does anyone doubt which designer he’ll be wearing, particularly if he performs, as expected, “Suit & Tie”?