Men in monochromatic plaid miniskirts and tights might be a reach for a lot of designers. But Thom Browne is not just any designer.
On Wednesday, Browne unveiled a men’s resort collection full of classic tailored clothing references blended seamlessly with skirts, dresses and other traditionally female silhouettes.
The result was an offering that was both familiar and fresh. “I still see references to the suit I made 20 years ago,” Browne said of the skinny gray suits that put him on the map two decades ago, adding: “It’s really important to me to show how the collection has evolved.”
Thom Browne Men's Resort 2022
45 Photos
Browne continued: “Over the past three or four years, I’ve been exploring the idea of putting men in stereotypically women’s clothes. It has become normal to me. There are almost as many skirts and dresses as trousers in this collection. It just feels natural and right and authentic to the collection.”
Although the silhouettes may blur the lines of gender, Browne stuck to more traditional fabrics such as gingham, madras plaid, seersucker, intarsias and cotton-linen blends. He said he uses the fabrics as “a tool” to allow the collection to be “provocative. They’re all based on really classic patterns. That’s the way I like to ground these ideas.”
But they also speak to his appreciation for true American sportswear, and by using them in more-tailored garments, Browne is able to morph formal and casualwear in a unique way.
“I have zero interest in designing a collection that is casual,” he said. “The idea of casual clothes is just not that interesting.”
Instead, he seeks to offer up a new take on tailoring that blends the two. This attitude also illustrates how Browne is thinking right now. “It’s a story of my fighting the idea that everything has to be so dressed down,” he said.
But while the collection was dressy, it was still playful, with propellers on hats and bags in the shape of airplanes — along with his signature Dachshund bags, some of which were stretched out or shrunken down this time around.
He also played with proportions in some of the apparel pieces, such as the “obnoxiously short skirts” and oversize ponchos. He offered up a wide variety of hats, from buckets to top hats. Although Browne’s hats started out as mere conceptual accessories for his shows, they’ve since become a decent business for the brand. “We have a fairly good hat business in our stores,” he said.
He also designed some interesting shoes, including a duck boot, rubber rain boot and a hiking shoe based on the idea of an old cross-country ski boot, he said.
All told, the lineup hit all the marks of a Thom Browne collection. And although it won’t be shown on the runway this time, the designer said the plan is to show men’s and women’s together during New York Fashion Week in September before taking the men’s back to Paris in January.
“We’re going to be physical in Paris in January,” he said, adding that he was thrilled to be able to travel to Europe to create this collection. “One of the best things was to be able to go to Europe to see it, shoot it, live it in person,” he said. “The idea of our lives coming back is so refreshing and I wanted this collection to feel the same way.”
Source: Read Full Article