Posts with tag ThomBrowne

Just before Thom Browne S/S '09 mens' wear presentation during New York Fashion Week, at Exit Art, models in the 4 opening looks hang around backstage.

Anyone who calls Thom Browne's garments unwearable should actually look at the clothes and suits he sells at places like Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's New York. Why is it so hard to understand the odd and dramatic show pieces don't pop up on the sales floor at those places or, even, his flagship location?

That he's willing to invest in seemingly odd creations and push the boundaries of tailored possibilities (and taste), make him unique among men's wear designers in New York. He's one of the few with the literal and figurative balls (see below) to put a concept on the runway and ask for response. Part of the function of his showpieces is to push the limits with skirt plays,double trousers, all that odd stuff that draws criticism and media. It's such an important gesture that goes beyond updating classics for today.

For S/S '09 he takes tennis concept to the extreme with an exploration into the ceremony of a tennis match. And it's not just smash 'em down US Open style tennis, it's also finesse and spin shots mixed with really tricky serves.

Next to Thom Browne, the second most daring show among men's wear designers this season was... Maybe Teflar? There's much more preference by designers to show they can merchandize a tight collection. Bowne says a fashion show should be a show and entertain the audience, showing ideas as well as garments.

At Exit Art, during New York Fashion Week, Thom Browne's tennis inspired show of men's wear for S/S '09 included this scoreboard. In a tightly contested match, Browne and his pr maven Miki Higasa seem to have the edge on Browne's business partners Robert Childs and Sam Lothrop.

Suzy Menkes, fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, shown front row at Thom Browne S/S '09 during New York fashion week. We agree with some parts of her show review.

Men.Style, the online home of GQ and Details, does ongoing video segments about men's fashion. Shown below, Tyler Thoreson conducts an interview after Thom Browne S/S '09, presumably to solicit opinions of the show.

Thom Browne S/S '09 was played out on a tennis court, with tennis balls, a scoreboard, headbands (both on heads, and as military looking arm bands) and so many men's wear oddities. There was several skirt plays including a front paneled pant (also done as a short) that looked like a skirt from the front but typical trousers from the back.

The show's kicker went out to "Also Sprach Zarathustra" by Richard Strauss, from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It resembled a wedding dress, with a tailored jacket providing structure in place of a bodice and even a veil. Beyond the showpieces, the wearable garments mainly stuck to a clean, white palette, with touches of red and blue. Other style details include dress trousers worn pulled down for a play on street style, knee socks for a boyish look and some very fine knit pieces.

Style.com just added this video of hunky designer Thom Browne taking his daily jog in Central Park.

"You're wearing highwaters!" we'd giggle, back when I was a teenager, to boys whose pants showed some ankle. Now, though, showing some ankle is apparently very, very cool.

As David Colman reports in the Style Section of today's New York Times, designer Thom Browne has raised the mark -- quite literally -- with his $3,500 suits. Despite impeccable tailoring, they ride a bit high ... by design. And with clients like David Bowie and George Stephanopolous, Browne has become the it-boy of men's fashion. He's even signed a two-year deal with Brooks Brothers to give the brand a bit more edge.

Browne's line, of course, has going for it than just short man-pants. Check it out here.