Snapped by Tommy Ton: “It harkens back to that old era of haute couture”

Canadian wonder boy Tommy Ton reflects on his street style photographs in a monthly column.

It’s rare to capture a quiet moment at fashion week, especially outside the Dior show, so when I saw Hanneli walking up, I knew I had maybe 10 seconds to run and get that photo before someone else walked into the background. It was one of those classic Irving Penn or Richard Avedon moments when a woman just looks so elegant, simply on her own, in the middle of the street. Everything was perfect: the setting, the look, the silhouette…. It very much harkens back to that old era of haute couture—almost like Dior New Look but much more modern. And I love the simplicity of wearing a coat on its own. Anna Dello Russo said last year in her video for H&M that one of her rules is to wear a coat as a dress, and if you’re willing to make a statement in early winter, there is no better accessory to a simply cut coat than a pair of bare legs. I just love how minimal it is, and also that it’s Calvin Klein, which is kind of funny and cool because she’s wearing a New Look at the Dior show but it’s not Dior. It’s An American in Paris.