Thom Browne, Design’s Designer

Congratulations to Thom Browne (pictured), who was honored in the Fashion Design category at this year’s National Design Awards. Accepting the nod at a ceremony on the west side of Manhattan last night, Browne graciously thanked both Miki Higasa, his longtime publicist, and Rocco Ciccarelli, the Queens-based tailor with whom he worked to develop his famously shrunken silhouette. In a roomful of designers in fields ranging from graphics to landscape architecture, Browne added his own two cents to the form-versus-function debate, happily admitting that—in his inventive runway presentations at least—he often favors provocation over wearability. When Product Design winner Scott Wilson subsequently collected his own award in a sharp Browne tuxedo, it suggested the fashion designer has both bases covered.