Tommy Ton has always had a unique point of view on what makes an outfit sing. One of fashion’s earliest street style photographers, his subjects—individuals with style and substance in equal measure—aren't following trends. They’re expressing something deeper, and that difference is what makes his shots so compelling.
Sure, the clothes are always great, but his takes capture the true essence of the wearer. In monthly installments surrounding a fashion theme, he'll explore the outfits that caught his eye and why. Is more more, or is less more?
For years, we’ve been told that good taste is knowing when to stop. Coco Chanel’s famous advice of looking in the mirror before leaving the house and removing one thing has become something of a fashion commandment for many. But I’ve always wondered what happens when we do the opposite.
What if, instead of taking something away, you add another necklace, another ring, another earring, another bracelet? What if the most interesting thing about getting dressed is not knowing when to stop, but having the confidence not to? After seasons of quiet luxury and wardrobes edited down to the essentials, I find myself drawn to a more expressive approach to accessorizing.
Somewhere along the way, restraint became synonymous with sophistication, and the absence of adornment was elevated into a marker of taste. But minimalism, for all its elegance, can become its own uniform. When everyone is wearing the same monogram pendant or oversized belt buckle, how much individuality is left?
Jewelry is most interesting when it disrupts that uniformity. I love the woman with rings on nearly every finger, a wrist stacked with cuffs and bracelets, necklaces layered at different lengths and crowded with pendants, and earrings that seem to be having a conversation of their own. There is something wonderfully assured about a look that refuses to be fully resolved.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
