{"id":55715,"date":"2025-10-01T20:33:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/55715\/"},"modified":"2025-10-01T20:33:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:33:13","slug":"street-style-photographer-tommy-ton-on-his-career-beginnings-and-how-to-spot-personal-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/55715\/","title":{"rendered":"Street Style Photographer Tommy Ton on His Career Beginnings and How to Spot Personal Style"},"content":{"rendered":"

Why did the street style photographer cross the road? Because Tommy Ton was already on that corner, and nobody would get a better shot. That\u2019s the game, anyway, when the 40-something Canadian photographer shows up around the world to document how girls wear their worlds. From his early Toronto-based blog Jak + Jil to his work with brands like Dries Van Noten, Louis Vuitton, and H&M, Ton\u2019s body of work examines the nuances in getting dressed for right now.<\/p>\n

Here in his own words, the Montreal native explains how his career began, the secret to posing in front of a parking garage, and why J. Crew mannequins now have their t-shirts shoved into their underwear. (Hint: Ashley Olsen.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI would NEVER have called it STREET STYLE. That wasn\u2019t exactly a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m from a Vietnamese Canadian family. I grew up in a pretty \u201cnormal\u201d town in Ontario. I remember as a kid, begging my sister to tape Fashion TV for me and studying the designers. I interned at a small fashion company in Canada in high school, and then got a job working at Holt Renfrew, which was a big Canadian department store in Toronto. That\u2019s where something clicked.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t know it was called \u2018street style\u2019 then \u2014 I\u2019m not sure it was called \u2018street style\u2019 then. But I was so interested in life outside the runway. I was curious about how people actually wore clothes, you know? Why would a dress have tights and boots, or bare legs and heels? I would walk down the street in Toronto and recognize what people wore. Like, \u201cOh, is that a McQueen skull scarf? Oh, are those the Chlo\u00e9 Paddington boots?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"womenTOMMY TON<\/p>\n

Women at Paris Fashion Week, 2013<\/p>\n

So I was working in this retail office\u2014it was great but it was corporate. I started Jak & Jil so I would have some place to put the photographs I was taking. The early 2000s were really the first time you could create your own website and share your own point of view. And I wanted to see how my photographs would look like out in the universe, I guess. <\/p>\n

I would venture around different Toronto neighborhoods but\u2026 I guess I would compare it to being\u2026 let\u2019s say a taxi driver? Sometimes you get fare after fare, and sometimes you have to drive around for a while. People still ask me, \u201cTommy, why do you always shoot outside fashion shows? What about other places?\u201d And I love other places. I do shoot other places! But it\u2019s like going fishing. You want to go to a pond where you know there will be fish. And fashion shows have the most fish.<\/p>\n

I wish I had really dramatic stories for you about getting these shots, but it\u2019s pretty quiet. A great street style shot is just an IYKYK moment. You see someone coming and you see a new language being created by clothes. You just get it. It\u2019s a very peaceful experience, really, at least for me.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone thought FASHION PEOPLE wore ALL BLACK. Then CARINE happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you worked in fashion, you’d remember how the French Vogue team, Emmanuelle Alt and Carine Roitfeld, had such an impact on how editors in America dressed. In turn, of course, that influenced how everyone in America dressed. The Ala\u00efa boot with the laser-cut lattice work, the tight-fitting pencil skirt, the black denim, a medium heel\u2014not a giant spike heel like Paris Hilton, you know? When there was more accessible imagery showing how insiders were dressing, that informed the industry as a whole.<\/p>\n

I think also that the French editors were so appealing at the beginning, in like 2005 and 2006, because until then, there was this misconception that fashion people were very fussy and wore all-black with huge glasses and kind of looked like, you know [Edna Mode] in The Incredibles. Or they\u2019re like Kate Moss, the super-young girls who are kind of savage but delicate. But then you have these very sexy, very adult women who are just going to work, not trying so hard but also very put-together. Suddenly, people got it. It was like, everyone thought fashion people wore all black. Then Carine happened.<\/p>\n

\"carine\"<\/p>\n

In the early 2010s in fashion, people would take their oversize blazers and drape it over their shoulders like a cape, right? And it seemed forced because it wasn\u2019t something that American girls would naturally do. They had cross-body bags at the time and that doesn\u2019t work with the drape. But Carine would do that naturally. [Fashion] shows got so hot inside, they needed to breathe a bit. So she\u2019d come out of the show with her blazer over her shoulders and then everyone took that style cue from her. But you needed a jacket that was exceptionally well-cut, which of course Carine\u2019s was. I think people missed that part of the plan!<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople thought, \u2018WAIT, I can DRESS like THAT?\u2019 It felt like a PARTY.\u201d<\/p>\n

Soon you\u2019d see the no-arms thing on the runway, along with the mid-heels and skinny black pants. And it was a pretty clear signal that designers were paying a lot of attention to street style, in a way that was influencing their runway choices. We could see it happening in real time. That was exciting.
<\/p>\n

Around 2011, 2012, we had Eva Chen and Lauren Santo Domingo and Taylor Tomasi Hill. I remember calling them \u2018The Teen Vogue Girls\u2019 even though they didn\u2019t all work there, but they all get grouped together in my mind, and then their assistants\u2014Danielle [Prescod] and Laurel [Pantin], super young girls with their first \u201creal\u201d fashion jobs.<\/p>\n

\"taylorTOMMY TON<\/p>\n

Taylor Tomasi Hill<\/p>\n

I consider this group of women so influential because they were kind of the opposite of the French women. They were stacking their bracelets all the way up their arms and mixing colors and textures. They put lace blouses under denim jackets or over sports jerseys. They were just fun. They\u2019d walk by and you\u2019d see the whole street just smile, like, \u201cWait, I can dress like that? And still be cool?\u201d<\/p>\n

People really underestimated how huge street style was becoming until Susie Lau started booking campaigns for Gap because of her \u201cSusie Bubble\u201d persona, which was very smart and quirky but also frothy. She was one of the first people wearing Simone Rocha, Molly Goddard. Leandra [Medine] and her blog [Man Repeller] would grab as many bracelets as they could and call it an \u2018arm party,\u2019 right? And it did feel like a party.<\/p>\n

A few years later, 2014 maybe, the word \u2018influencer\u2019 really became an official, professional label. Because of that, more people tried to dress for the cameras instead of for themselves. But you can tell when someone is stressed out about how they look, or wondering if they look the way other people want them to look. You know? It doesn\u2019t matter how many bracelets you\u2019ve got on your arms. If you don\u2019t love it, it\u2019s not a party.<\/p>\n

\u201cJ.CREW became a LUXURY LABEL because of STREET STYLE, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact street style had on marketing and merchandising really goes back to the 2010s with Jenna Lyons at J.Crew. That whole aesthetic with the \u2018French tuck,\u2019 the mixed patterns\u2014it all came from street style. Brands realized that street style was a formula that related to the masses. It wasn\u2019t exclusive to designer pieces; it was more about the styling. J. Crew became a luxury label, in a sense, because of street style. <\/p>\n

I would walk down the street back home in Toronto, and see something in the window of a chain store, and it would be styled with stripes on top of florals, or socks with open-toe heels, and I would think, \u2018Well, I just shot that in Milan. I just saw that in London. That was fast.\u2019<\/p>\n

I actually love that part of the equation, because street style is not dependent on your spending budget. It really isn\u2019t. I\u2019ve seen outfits outside of Chanel or Prada and I know some pieces are from, like, a gas station mini-mart in Ohio. That is not prohibitive of style. Style is about your choices, not your money. <\/p>\n

\"laurenTOMMY TON<\/p>\n

Lauren Santo Domingo<\/p>\n

I had a friend the other day ask me if people are better dressed in cities like New York and Toronto now than they used to be. The answer is yes. But that\u2019s a little sad in a way, because since we all have access to the same images, and those images are hitting us so fast, there are a lot more people who dress the exact same way. The ones who understand how to make it a little more special\u2014more color, more tailoring, a white shoe instead of a black one\u2014those are the people who engage more seriously with this idea of personal style.<\/p>\n

Everyone\u2019s moaning about \u2018quiet luxury\u2019 on the runways now, but it\u2019s really just minimalism, and there\u2019s always been a certain tribe that believes simple, well-fitting clothes are the most valuable things you can buy. I can\u2019t be mad at that but I do think post-Covid, quiet luxury made things a little sad, because everyone was trying to look \u2018rich\u2019 instead of looking informed. And I\u2019m like, \u2018Is this personal style or is it some type of cosplay?\u2019 Again, I think it can work if the details are extremely confident and considered. Think about In\u00e8s de la Fressange or Elissa Santisi. They can do a white shirt and black trousers because they have an understanding of how those pants should fit. Even celebrities can’t always do that. People who understand how to dress within a uniform are so compelling to me, because they\u2019ve mastered a ritual in their life, and that ritual has built their personal style. That can be \u2018quiet\u2019 because it\u2019s also really powerful. <\/p>\n

\u201cFor God\u2019s sake, PLEASE put your PHONE DOWN.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a street style photographer and someone who\u2019s been in the industry for 20 years at this point, I love how far the medium has come, and how enthusiastic people can be about their looks.<\/p>\n

That said, because of social media and algorithmic bias, we’ve all got the same reference points now. We know what Chanel looks like as Chanel is happening. My advice? Immerse yourself in other forms of culture. See a movie. Go to a restaurant. Travel and take a walk through a real neighborhood. Living your life through your phone takes away the experience of living in the world, and that\u2019s a real drain on personal style.<\/p>\n

In Paris, I always tell people, \u201cFor god\u2019s sake, please put your phone down and just look around.\u201d Notice how they put a brooch on their backpack. Notice how they carry their accessories. Right now in Paris, I love seeing women carry two bags at once! They’ve got their super fancy Chanel with their random grocery tote. I love that authenticity. And you saw it at Bottega earlier, the shopping bags being paired with the luxury bags. It\u2019s hitting the runway for sure.<\/p>\n

\"milan,Jacopo Raule<\/p>\n

Ton with Caroline Issa at a Prada show in 2013<\/p>\n

I wish I could tell you, \u201cJust carry two bags at once and you\u2019ll be in a street style photograph.\u201d But personal style just doesn\u2019t work like that. Personal style today is about communicating who you are through your clothes in a really deliberate, IYKYK kind of way. Go ahead and think of what you value and what you love and don\u2019t be afraid to wear it. Just be really nitty gritty about the details.<\/p>\n

After doing this for so long, you develop an instant read on people. You know immediately whether someone is a maximalist or a minimalist. If you want to be really specific, you know when she’s a Miuccia stan, or they’re in the Comme-sphere, or if she\u2019s a Philo-phile. In New York, you see someone in strappy heel sandals with a sleek handbag, wearing white denim with a red shirt\u2014you’re like, \u201cOkay, she’s doing the Row and Khaite. She loves it. It\u2019s part of her life plan.\u201d Compare that to someone carrying a Chlo\u00e9 Paddington that’s been thrifted from TheRealReal with scuffed sides and she\u2019s got a Marine Serre skirt and some Adidas sneakers. That’s a very different girl from the Khaite girl. She has different values she\u2019s aligning with. The stylistic choices inform you instantly about who someone is.<\/p>\n

\"milan,Jacopo Raule<\/p>\n

Ton with Anna Dello Russo at a Prada show in 2013<\/p>\n

For me, what\u2019s never informed that is how someone actually looks, physically. It doesn’t matter about background or age or size. It’s how people express themselves through their visual choices and their nuances. I tend to gravitate toward women who have lived very rich and textured lives\u2014nine lives, right? They’ve worked in different aspects of the industry, and you can tell they’re very confident in their choices, whether they’ve reached a certain peak in their career or they\u2019ve hit a certain level of self-understanding. Women over 40, over 50\u2014I tend to find myself really drawn to their choices because they know who they are.<\/p>\n

The fun ones today, also, are people like Chloe King and Roopal [Patel]. The retailers. It’s not obvious what brand they’re wearing\u2014we don’t know if it’s Uniqlo or Phoebe Philo. It’s probably both. You feel intrigued by what they’re putting together. You don\u2019t have to totally \u2018get\u2019 it at first. I don\u2019t always, and that\u2019s okay. That\u2019s great. You need those fish in your pond.<\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why did the street style photographer cross the road? Because Tommy Ton was already on that corner, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":55716,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[307,304,305,306,4959,39455,308,4830,93,61,60,1106,39454],"class_list":{"0":"post-55715","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-content-type-feature","13":"tag-contentid-cf5ad4bd-d60c-4bac-92be-03a7c451bb0b","14":"tag-design","15":"tag-displaytype-long-form-article","16":"tag-entertainment","17":"tag-ie","18":"tag-ireland","19":"tag-locale-us","20":"tag-shorttitle-what-shooting-street-style-taught-me-about-fashion"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55715\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55716"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}