Thom Browne
post a comment ›
NEW YORK, February 14, 2011
By Tim Blanks
Thom Browne was raised Catholic. He's also partial to the homogenization that uniforms impose on people. Combine those two under a womenswear umbrella and the nuns that ruled his new show made perfect sense. In the Edna Barnes Salomon Room of the New York Public Library, American fashion's master showman staged a performance of evening vespers to the tune of—what else?—"How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" One by one, wimpled models handed their habits to Brian and Travis Davenport, the devastatingly handsome male model twins who are just the sort of cloakroom attendants you'd hope to find in heaven. And what were these brides of Christ wearing under their ecclesiastical garb? A stitch-by-stitch transposition of Browne's menswear vocabulary: checks, extreme proportions, difficult layering, and an absolute upending of red-white-and-blue tradition.Glaring down from the walls of the hallowed hall where Browne showed were a few centuries of Astor men, and their late-Victorian/early-Edwardian grandee style was reflected in the strictly tailored gray flannel and camel, the caped and hobbled shapes. Which meant there was no sex in Browne's look. But there was subversion. The baseball jacket that stretched into a dress with an extreme hourglass shape, for instance. Or the lush astrakhan jacket that expanded into a vinyl peplum. The overt theatricality of Browne's layering was also a challenge. Baby, it may be cold outside, but the capelet over cape over cable-knit skirt was a theatrical layer too far. Still, as with Browne's menswear, you suspect that elements of the whole—the patent clutches, for a start—will be extracted over time for commercial effect.
Speaking of theater, Browne was fearless in his manipulation of outlandish silhouette: The egg and the cage were reminiscent of an earlier fashion provocateur, Jean Paul Gaultier. Equally, they could be Gaga today, and it is probably in that context that Browne's work should be judged. The sui generis lexicon he has established for himself is just as critic-proof as hers.
/
/
/
COMMENTS
(0) ADD YOURSwelcome !
logout
you must be logged in to leave a comment sign in | join now
see all designers ›
Fall 2011 Ready-to-Wear
#
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
F
|
G
|
H
|
I
|
J
|
K
|
L
|
M
|
N
|
O
|
P
|
R
|
S
|
T
|
U
|
V
|
W
|
Y
|
Z
|
-
#
3.1 Phillip Lim -
A
-
B
-
C
-
D
-
E
Edun Elie Saab Elie Tahari Elise Øverland Emanuel Ungaro Emilio de la Morena Emilio Pucci Emporio Armani Erdem Erin Fetherston Etro -
F
Farah Angsana Fashion East Felder Felder Felipe Oliveira Baptista Fendi Francesco Scognamiglio Frank Tell -
G
Gabriele Colangelo Gap Gareth Pugh Gary Graham Giambattista Valli Gianfranco Ferré Giles Giorgio Armani Givenchy Graeme Armour Gregory Parkinson G-Star Gucci -
H
Haider Ackermann Hakaan Halston Helmut Lang Hermès Hervé Léger by Max Azria Holly Fulton House of Holland -
I
Iceberg Imitation of Christ Isaac Mizrahi Isabel Marant Issa Issey Miyake -
J
-
K
Karen Walker Kelly Wearstler Kenzo Kevork Kiledjian Kimberly Ovitz Kinder Aggugini -
L
L.A.M.B. L'Wren Scott Lanvin Lela Rose Libertine Limi Feu Loewe Louise Gray Louis Vuitton Luca Luca Luisa Beccaria Lyn Devon -
M
-
N
Naeem Khan NAHM Nanette Lepore Narciso Rodriguez Neil Barrett Nicholas K Nicolas Andreas Taralis Nicole Farhi Nicole Miller Nina Ricci No. 21 Norma Kamali -
O
Ohne Titel Organic by John Patrick Oscar de la Renta Osman -
P
Paul & Joe Paul Smith Pedro Lourenço Peter Jensen Peter Pilotto Peter Som Philosophy Piazza Sempione Ports 1961 PPQ Prabal Gurung Prada Preen Pringle of Scotland Proenza Schouler -
R
-
S
Sacai Sachin + Babi Salvatore Ferragamo Sass & Bide Sharon Wauchob Sonia Rykiel Sophie Theallet Sportmax St. John Stella McCartney Stephen Burrows Steven Alan Suno -
T
-
U
Undercover United Bamboo -
V
Valentino Vanessa Bruno Vena Cava Vera Wang Véronique Leroy Versace Versus Victoria Beckham Viktor & Rolf Vionnet Vivienne Tam Vivienne Westwood Vivienne Westwood Red Label VPL -
W
Wayne Wes Gordon Willow -
Y
Y-3 Yigal Azrouël Yohji Yamamoto Yves Saint Laurent -
Z
Zac Posen Zero + Maria Cornejo Z Spoke by Zac Posen
ERROR:
