Thom Browne Menswear

[Casius]

Damn! $200! I'm gonna go kill myself...lol. I wonder if anywhere has any of the old collections still available? *Sigh*

 

[ETROsexualJ]

Your best bet would be to check Decades II on Melrose or when you come to NY check out Fisch for the Hip on 17th/7th (both designer consignment shops). It's a shot in the dark; but, worth it.
They also had the grey velcro closure grey ski patch jacket for $900 at BG...still kick my butt for not buying it.

 

[Casius]

Wow, those are excellent sale prices. I can only hope some will be on drastic sale after Xmas time.
I would gladly take a pair of these too...

 

[ETROsexualJ]

Cas you would have no use for that in SoCali!

Bergdorf (and probably Barneys) will be about 60% off after Christmas/1st of the year. I think the exact date for the 2nd cut on BG's 3rd floor is Dec 20th. Thom may or may not go on that...very suprised it is now because for Spring hardly anything went on sale and when it did it was very last minute.
You'd have to wait for cleareance 75% + off to get things like that for that cheap.
Also, those pants and jacket are not at BG, Barneys or Jeffery so you'd have to buy them from the boutique...which I don't think is or ever will mark anything down. They still have last winter's long navy officer coat for full price.

 

[Casius]

Ah, so those pants are extremely warm? That definitely wouldn't work if that's the case.

60% off would be a nice enough junk for me. Do you know if all the BG's carry Thom or just the one in NY?

P.S. I didn't even know Jeffrey sold TB.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

Bergdorf Goodman only has one store and it is in NYC...so yah, all of the BG's carry it.

Jeffery has the typical Chelsea queen selection and it sucks.

 

[Casius]

lol, doh! I'll definitely stop by when I'm in town.

And yea, I've heard some rather pleasant things about Jeffrey...heheh.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

New cashmere cardigan

 

[Casius]

That looks extremely nice. Xmas present?

 

[ETROsexualJ]

That looks extremely nice. Xmas present?

Thaaaaaanks Mom.

I think it is the only one that BG had and wasn't on the floor that long since I ithink it was on a display for a few weeks and then my Mother bought it.

It reminds me of the tartan suit from last F/W that I wanted to buy and missed out on.

 

[Casius]

Yea, it looks excellent and I love the colors. Mom did well.

I just love the buttons on the cuffs of all his sweaters, such a nice touch.

 

[stylites]

One thing I can say is that stylish men everywhere seem to nod to Thom Browne with their clothing choices. I don't know if this means that he has influenced them or that he is summing up a moment in men's style that was already beginning to happen. This chicken and egg type question always arises though and it's hard to determine the leaders and followers.

What role do you think Thom Browne has in defining or at least representing the current spirit of popular culture? His look seems 1950s/60s corporate with a new twist, no doubt and with extremely lux fabrics and a strong dose of American-style whimsy, both a parody and celebration (as many things seem to be) of a certain American-ness. What does this look, its popularity, and its global influence show about our times?

 

[ysljunkie]

I just want one suit just one....

 

[the-smiths]

I wouldnt mind owning the Harry Winston watch he did w/ the pave white diamonds, blue sapphires and rubies. that thing is gorgeous.

 

[aybaybay]

hahhah diamonds? really?

i'm not a fan of bling unless you got some serious swagger but i guess i'm against the times.

 

[Mutterlein]

One thing I can say is that stylish men everywhere seem to nod to Thom Browne with their clothing choices. I don't know if this means that he has influenced them or that he is summing up a moment in men's style that was already beginning to happen. This chicken and egg type question always arises though and it's hard to determine the leaders and followers.

What role do you think Thom Browne has in defining or at least representing the current spirit of popular culture? His look seems 1950s/60s corporate with a new twist, no doubt and with extremely lux fabrics and a strong dose of American-style whimsy, both a parody and celebration (as many things seem to be) of a certain American-ness. What does this look, its popularity, and its global influence show about our times?

This is an interesting question. I've been thinking about the recent surge of American menswear designers doing clothes based on very typical American style. Tim Hamiliton, Robert Geller, Patrik Ervell, Band of Outsiders, they all borrow extensively from the American male's vocabulary. Luxurious takes on sportswear, active-wear, military wear, oxford shirts, parkas, etc. Thom is really the leader of the pack IMO being the first, the most stylized, the most expensive, and the most esoteric. While the other labels deal in casual clothes Thom works mainly in the upper echelons of suiting and the world they are worn in. On top of that, his suits are quite peculiar: cropped, boxy, a totally new proportion, a very fresh one, but still a bit awkward.

He's created a lifestyle brand, I think Etrosexualj has shown us its potency. As a lifestyle brand it exists between a celebratory bastardization of traditional brooks brothers/ralph lauren/wasp culture and a very directional, very abstract, and very desirable (for those in the know) sense of cool. And, it's wholly American, Thom has essentially made American style cool again.

That isn't to say Thom's work doesn't share other sartorial threads (no pun intended). You could say some aspects of it are very Italian, he takes a bit here and there but otherwise the language is all American, slow drawn but with a bit of pep.

I can't say what the influence has been outside of NYC, where I believe it's occupying a small and slow growing niche. I'll see a young man in a Thom Browne suit in Williamsburg complete with arm band and all and then I'll see a shopper at Opening ceremony wearing the pants (high and cropped) with a sartorial nerdy chicness, but he won't be wearing any actual Thom. I notice how Banana Republic and J.Crew are taking note of Thom and it shows in their work. I'm sure their NY design studios are big fans. And of course, Ralph has always been a big fan. I don't know if the look has caught on in Europe, I'm not sure if the look and sensibility has caught on beyond the fashionably minded in NYC. Who buys the clothes from the hudson store? And from Barney's? and from Bergdorf's? What exactly is being distilled from Browne other than a few new looks for hipsters and a cardigan idea for mass fashion lines?

In tow with all the other emerging menswear designers I think it's something akin to a design movement: the resurgence of American style as an aesthetic benchmark. I think this will last and will prove to be influential world wide. Personally I don't think it's the severe American connection but rather the ease of the archetypal pieces, fabrics, and proportions and their newly recognized ability to bring something fresh. Hedi Slimane really captured the menswear scene and I think alternatives are needed. New York has found it's own. But regarding Thom, he's at a different level than the other designers. If anyone will crash and burn it will be him and if anyone is going to turn their name into a megabrand that will live on past the contemporary it will also be him.

 

[the-smiths]

hahhah diamonds? really?

i'm not a fan of bling unless you got some serious swagger but i guess i'm against the times.

Agreed, most watches w/ diamonds are really tasteless but this one is tasteless but v v cool. If it didn't retail for probably 100k Id definitely buy it.

 

[tricotineacetat]

I think Thom Browne as the collection it is currently positioned at is gonna stay a niche company. Albeit it's higher pricepoints than other menswear designer brands, the collection remains almost exclusively an affair in sartorial wear.

Dior's success started with a push further into sportswear; that is denim, jersey and footwear/accessories, copying a certain formula that Helmut Lang probably helped to establish in the 90ies with his highly succesful Jeans collection. In so doing, the appeal had been broadened from the more mature suit customer to a younger one that was clearly going for the less expensive product lines on offer.

 

[Mutterlein]

I think Thom Browne as the collection it is currently positioned at is gonna stay a niche company. Albeit it's higher pricepoints than other menswear designer brands, the collection remains almost exclusively an affair in sartorial wear.

Dior's success started with a push further into sportswear; that is denim, jersey and footwear/accessories, copying a certain formula that Helmut Lang probably helped to establish in the 90ies with his highly succesful Jeans collection. In so doing, the appeal had been broadened from the more mature suit customer to a younger one that was clearly going for the less expensive product lines on offer.

I thought about that, how inaccessible Browne's products are to people who admire but can't afford it. I know he wants to make clothes for all aspects of a man's life, not just suits. So, we'll see if his aesthetic and appeal can go beyond tailored clothing and sweater knits.

 

[ETROsexualJ]

But, he wants his man's life to only include suits and knits.