NYC-based Thom Browne has always been his own best advertisement—literally. For his first menswear collection in 2001, he actually slipped into the five meticulously crafted suits himself and wore them around town. Suit wearers and retailers quickly fell for Browne’s slim lapels and slightly cropped, skinny trousers, especially in the wake of the disheveled “business casual” trend that swept menswear.
With no design training—he has an undergrad business degree and a failed acting career—Browne started in fashion by working the sales floor at Giorgio Armani before working his way up the design chain at Club Monaco, and then going solo. In 2005, just four years after opening up his first by-appointment-only bespoke store downtown, Browne was nominated for a CFDA—he won it in 2006, putting him in the same circle as past winners Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Helmut Lang. In fall 2007, he will debut capsule mens and accessories collections under the globally recognized Brooks Brothers banner.
With no design training—he has an undergrad business degree and a failed acting career—Browne started in fashion by working the sales floor at Giorgio Armani before working his way up the design chain at Club Monaco, and then going solo. In 2005, just four years after opening up his first by-appointment-only bespoke store downtown, Browne was nominated for a CFDA—he won it in 2006, putting him in the same circle as past winners Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, and Helmut Lang. In fall 2007, he will debut capsule mens and accessories collections under the globally recognized Brooks Brothers banner.
Intrinsic to the Browne aesthetic were two major new ideas in the spring/summer 2007 collection: the double-breasted jacket and a two-button style. These were even more fitted than Browne's jackets in the past, but by way of compensation, he'd added extra volume to the piece his customers might wear over them: a flyaway silk raglan coat, say, or one made from the same aluminium mesh you'd find in a screen door. Browne claimed he'd been thinking about the genteel traditions of the South when he called his collection "a new take on Americana." One result was the veiled effect achieved by layering gauzy dotted-Swiss voile over a cotton blazer. It was a detail you might find in womens couture, as were the ostrich feathers hand-embroidered onto another jacket. As mad as that might look for a man, it had a peculiar free-your-mind allure.
See the beautiful video here.
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