Thom Browne Laughs Last
By Ray Smith
In the worst days of the current recession’s grip, many openly wondered how
Thom Browne, the provocative designer known for his shrunken suits with ankle-baring pants and expensive runway theatrics (think circus tents and tennis court settings) could survive.
His extreme look, not easy for most guys to pull off, and his extreme prices, including made-by-hand flannel suits costing more than $4,000, were bold even in giddier times when people spent freely and often foolishly on designer fashion. Amid a global economic downturn, those strokes seemed downright self-destructive.
Earlier this spring, the
New York Post reported his company was on financial life support. Around that time, the company’s chief executive and chief financial officer left abruptly. Rival designers were spreading rumors that Browne was delinquent on payments to manufacturing factories. An article about smart shopping in GQ, one of Browne’s earliest champions since his line launched at
Bergdorf Goodman in 2004, made a thinly veiled swipe questioning the wisdowm of paying top dollar for extremely tight suits with flood pants during the worst downturn in decades.
So there was more than the usual anticipation for Browne’s runway show Sunday afternoon. Had the recession chastened him? Judging by the presentation, held in his store in Tribeca, the answer is a defiant no.
The designer’s demented wit was on full display as he riffed on aquatic themes specifically and American menswear more broadly. (At one point, the Beatles’s “Yellow Submarine” blared from the speakers.) From fishnets used as face masks to what looked like painted sea shells embroidered on briefcases, Mr. Browne was swimming in surrealism. Rain slickers came in yellow patent leather, or abbreviated, or sleeveless; nautical jackets sometimes came with half shoulders; one model walked out in a suit embellished with what look like round fish scales. Another wore a glittery top with scales.
Mr. Browne seemed to unleash his imagination almost like a middle finger to the recession. He’s done dropped-crotch trousers before, but never dropped this low — almost to the floor so that pants look like dresses. He’s done polka dots before, but never this big — one ensemble even had the polka-dot holes hollowed out. He’s done trains before on men’s jackets and dresses (yes, dresses) but never this transparent. Where in the past he has made outfits with skirts at the front and long pants at the back, this time he showed half skirt, half swimming trunk. Motif prints were tropical, but made even stranger because they were in black and white rather than playful color. His short pants were wider than ever.
Lenses of visor sunglasses decorated bucket hats — in some cases the hats were pulled over the model’s head with the lenses being implanted where holes were cut out so they could see. It was very disturbing deep-sea diver look. An editor from a fashion magazine laughed out loud at one point during the proceedings, and who could blame him. Heard on the Runway doesn’t think the designer would have minded, actually. After all, it’s he who seems to be getting the last laugh.
After all the news reports of drama at the label, Brown has since hired a new CEO, embarked on a business strategy to expand his collection to include more gentler-priced sportswear, announced plans to open more stores for the Black Fleece line he designs for
Brooks Brothers and continues an acclaimed line with
Moncler. What’s more, his influence is undeniable in menswear. While the shrunken look was derided at first, today it’s hard to find a menswear brand that doesn’t have a slightly shorter jacket with higher armholes or a more-fitted silhouette, even if it’s not as extreme as Browne’s. What at first seemed strange now has become commonplace.
