Tommy Ton has spent the past decade of his life outside runway shows, taking street style photos, first for Style.com and later for top fashion brands. His stamp of approval has turned It girls (and not a few It boys) into influencers with super-lucrative collaboration deals. Now he’s turning the tables, but not with one of the name-in-lights brands you might expect. Late last year he signed on as artistic director at the two-year-old made-in-America label Deveaux. Designer Andrea Tsao and her partner, founder Matthew Breen, caught the attention of Totokaelo, Fred Segal, and United Arrows with their menswear collections. Together with Ton they’re growing Deveaux into a unisex line, with pieces cut for men and graded down or with slight modifications here and there for women.
“We’re trying to create beautiful everyday pieces with a gestural, loose fit,” Ton said at a showroom appointment late last month. Often, he explained, when he finds himself asking a woman about a jacket or coat he likes the looks of, he hears that she has borrowed it from her husband or boyfriend. The collection is also informed by his appreciation for Céline. “I’m gutted about Phoebe,” Ton said, repeating an oft-expressed sentiment in the wake of designer Phoebe Philo’s departure from the LVMH brand.
Bold, unexpected colors and rich textures are two hallmarks of the new Deveaux collection, with unexpected design details coming in a close third. Pants are slit like tear-aways but only to the upper calf, and a robe coat is likewise split up the side seams for easy access to trouser pockets. When a model strode across the room in a slouchy pantsuit and sturdy oxford shoes, Ton asked, “Can’t you see Gaia Repossi [the French jewelry designer] in this?” Sure, or the Slovenian-Italian stylist Ada Kokosar. Deveaux’s sweaters, in particular, look good. Ton’s favorite piece is a ribbed cardigan that nearly grazes his ankles. Other styles make inventive use of the reverse “wrong” side of the knit.
Reflecting on the experience of artistic directing, Ton said with a laugh, “Back when I was 13, I really wanted to do this, but it’s a lot of work.” Clearly, though, he’s enjoying it; on the day of Vogue Runway’s appointment, he baked a carrot cake from a recipe he discovered on Chrissy Teigen’s Twitter feed for Deveaux’s small Tribeca office. “I’m helping Andrea and Matthew see the big picture,” he said. As for Tsao? “Tommy is pushing us. It’s great to have another creative person in here.” When asked if the relationship is permanent, they both answered in the affirmative.
