Dynamic duo Anna Dello Russo and Tommy Ton dish on fashion

Share

There is zero doubt that Anna Dello Russo's heart beats for fashion. The editor-at-large for Vogue Japan dons feathers and gold before noon, gets her hands on prêt-a-porter fresh from the runways and has become the new poster girl for whimsical headgear.

But why, really, does she love fashion so much?

"Because it's about change," she says in Italian-inflected English from the gilded suite inside the Room at the Bay's flagship Queen Street location in Toronto. "For me, I always say, it's a collective, unconscious language. And then you never know what it's talking about. You never know where it's going, what it's reflecting in society, what's going on, who's next."

Incidentally, Dello Russo changed outfits no less than eight times on her speedy stopover in Canada's largest city late last month.

Call it manic à la mode, superficially indulgent or dress-up on steroids. But for Dello Russo, who was born in southern Italy and now spends most of her time in Milan, it's something she increasingly acknowledges as her responsibility.

This is largely owing to a Toronto-based, roving fashion blogger named Tommy Ton who zeroed in on her eccentric style three years ago during Paris Fashion Week.

Since then, Ton - the in-demand sharp shooter behind the popular blog Jak & Jil - guesses he has photographed her more than 10,000 times, allowing them to foster a bond beyond shooter and muse. They fuel each other and have become close friends.

The Room has mounted 81 images of Dello Russo as captured by Ton. The installation, titled When Tommy Met Anna, weaves through the floor space and reveals groupings of ensembles more theatrical, each more embellished and colour-saturated than the next.

"In the beginning, it was for you," she says to Ton of her pageantry. "I want to please him because he represents a way to see fashion."

Dello Russo says she's happily taken him under her Balmain-fringed wing. "I already understand [the industry]very well and his mission is starting and I'm really happy to share my knowledge. He will be a fantastic millionaire, billionaire photographer so I want to give my advice. … it's good karma."

But it's more than that, she concedes as the interview unfolds. In Ton, she sees a shared obsession with fashion minutiae, whether the fabric of a Dolce & Gabbana dress or the cut of Céline pants.

"It's not common," she admits, sporting a Prabal Gurung fall 2011 cocktail dress. "When you find it, it's like a toxic community. You recognize the sickness. You want to share. You want to talk about that, because then [you]don't feel so crazy."

With her lithe yoga-toned body (she views her intense ashtanga practice as a grounding counterpoint to all the frivolity), long locks and rushed conversation style, it's easy to forget that Dello Russo has just turned 48.

"But fashion is not about age," she insists. "Fashion is all the ages. Everyone who works in fashion, they keep young.… It's about fresh eyes and then you have to know about everything and act in a certain way."

"I'm always dreaming about fashion. Luckily I made a job and it's my work.… It's an escape from reality, my fashion. Maybe I would be a drug addict otherwise," she says with a laugh. "But this is my drug."

For his part, Ton says Dello Russo serves as more than an aesthetic icon. In fact, he calls her his "fairy godmother."

"A lot of people say that I created her, but I don't think so … I only helped popularize her," he says.

"There isn't a moment that I don't take a picture of her," he adds, explaining that he has yet to be disappointed. "Anna will say, 'Today is not so good because [my outfit]is very boring' and I'm like, every day is good because it shows the many facets of your style and personality."

Ultimately, Dello Russo credits Ton for seeing in fashion what eludes many others. "It's like a ghost and Tommy is the ghostbuster, catching the soul of the clothes. When he photographs, he captures it," she explains. "If you don't take the picture, you never remember."