ALL about TON

A hard (but cold) fact in street style photography? Seemingly newcomer, Tommy Ton, the man behind the blog Jak and Jil, has beat The Sartorialist's, Scott Schuman, at his own game.

Not to say there is no place for Schuman at the proverbial dinner table anymore--hardly--but how All About Eve of Ton to snag the honor of snapping pics for GQ and Style.com at the shows these past few seasons, no? Especially since Schuman essentially created the id of street style photographer celeb. I had the opportunity to be shot by Schuman and interview him a few years back, and I was so blown away by the man's openness and warmth. He's a mid-western boy who was inspired by Helmut Newton, and ironically shies from having his own picture taken. I told him it's probably because he's a Scorpio. 

I will say that Ton has such a great eye for details, however. He's drawn to the little touches, the small nuances that complete a look or a persona. He's into texture, colors, prints in such a fun and unexpected way, that it forces one to examine the whole picture. 

He'll zero in on the metal closure of a Celine satchel, the shine and luster of a Rolex oyster, the sheen from one's sunglasses, the whipping of a model's locks, the crisp fabric of a lapel. It's all very lush, all very glossy in its appeal, and in a way, narrative. Ton helps craft stories and identities, does he not? Even if they are short stories.

Ton (and street photography generally) is also very much apart of this larger discussion in fashion at the moment, what with the viral immediacy of fashion and trends due to social media, that it is so much about what you like rather than what you're like. In a way these photographs are sources of inspiration (just look at Julia Sarr Ramois in Christoper Kane and Prada, below), but also so much about crafting a brand (see Anna Della Russo, above). A street photography darling can be a muse within minutes. One's outfit can launch a proverbial thousand ships around an editor, a model, a blogger.

It's seemingly the stuff that makes Tom Ford shudder (and me to a certain extent), but even this too shall pass. We'll be on to the next style wave and phenom in no time. 

I just wonder who will be documenting it all??

**All photos courtesy of Tommy Ton**