The Avant-Garde’s Sartorialist - Jak and Jil Blog

Scott Schuman’s photos tend to go towards the classically elegant, well-put together person, interspersed with some kooky and fun outfits. But at Jak and Jil, Toronto photographer Tommy Ton will aim for the “so unusual that it’s cool” photos - in high definition - of perhaps the most amazing shoes and accessories collection I have ever seen.

The photos focus mostly on the details, or taken in a way that your eyes are zooming on the glaring obvious item that’s making the entire outfit pop out. You might be familiar with the photo of the fake Chanel paper bag, or a photo of another fashion photographer strolling the street, that’s Tommy Ton, and I believe he’s a rising star.

Reading up on Tommy Ton, it’s to my own surprise that yet another Canadian fashion star is born. Having started his blog only last year in Sept 2008, after being online for only 3 months, China’s luxury retail giant Lane Crawford had contacted him to shoot their 2009 campaign, according to the Toronto Star. I mean, the guy is still living with his parents and busing his way like any normal Canadian citizen to New York for street photos.

It’s also great to know that just a couple of days ago, another fellow Canadian, Rad Hourani had shown his new bridge collection called Rad by Rad Hourani in New York’s Soho Grand Hotel. You can find the photos of his collection shot by Tommy on JakandJil.com. He’s now on the run making shoots for another Montreal-based company, Complexe Geometries (who by the way are gaining quite a lot of exposure, seen them in Clear Magazine as well), and recently gushed about seeing Balenciaga’s Nicholas Ghesquiere in his hotel lobby on Twitter.

I must admit that it’s been difficult to blog about Canadians in the fashion industry, but it’s so refreshing to see new talent gaining the attention they deserve. Not only are they discovered, but discovered ONLINE. I mean Lane Crawford is huge in China, how did they get the memo about Tommy Ton? I’m totally perplexed. By the way, Lane Crawford’s current success is owed to former CEO, Bonnie Brooks who is now CEO of The Bay, so expect The Bay to change in the near future.

The fashion industry definitely has its eyes set to conquer the online world.

Image credits to Tommy Ton

Frugal Fashionista Doesn’t Care About Underpaid Workers

Ok, I know it’s very tough not to shop for something that’s made in China or some other Third World country…but how insulting and disrespectful can you be?

I read this appalling article online from the Toronto Star about how we’re in dire economic times, and that it was time to look for some cheap fashion.

What’s the most insulting part of the article was this:

Funny thing, though, this looming recession. As bad it gets, economists and retail anaylsts predict this one will be different from years past. We’ll have never looked so good. The recent explosion of “fast fashion” has retailers like Joe Fresh, Wal-Mart and H&M in a race to introduce trendy and basic apparel for less and less. Thank you, China, Vietnam, India, Cambodia.

Seriously? Have you no shame? I was waiting to read about a worker who’s working 10 cents an hour and how fast fashion is an epidemic we should try to avoid not encourage! You would think that very last phrase was sarcastic. It wasn’t. It was seriously thanking them as the rest of the article dives on how to shop for 5 outfits for less than $100.

I do consciously think about the stuff I buy, and I feel guilty when I buy something made in China, but it’s because of this that I spend much less. Sure I may tout the opening of a store here and there and touring high end places like Chanel, but I am not encouraging in any way to purchase ANYTHING. Sure the purchasing is left to your discretion, it’s your money, do what you want as long as you know what you’re going into. But to blatantly tell people “Hey I know this thing’s made from Cambodia and that workers suffer, but I get to save me some dollars cause times are ‘hard’ over here.” Give me a break.

I find this article to be heartless. Shame on you Toronto Star.