Thom Browne capped off the European men’s season with a meditation on the ravages of time. The designer likes to tell a story with each collection, and this time it was about 13 members of a gentlemen’s club in the Twenties who return there after the Depression to reflect on their past.
He illustrated the concept with 13 outfits, each shown in three variations — starting with a tattered and distressed version, and working back to a pristine starting point. The impact was counterintuitive — the more the fabrics regained their rightful appearance, the more you admired how skilfully they were put through the wringer.
Plaid coats yielded their insides like mattresses spewing their stuffing. The matted remains of lustrous beaver and astrakhan trims looked poignantly threadbare. Striped or checked fabrics only served to magnify the devastation, as their geometric motifs became gradually overrun with patches and tears.
You May Also Like
It was a powerful statement from a designer famed for his meticulously precise approach to tailoring and embellishment. “There’s beauty in the perfection, and there’s beauty in the imperfection,” Browne mused after the show. Who knows where that insight will take him?