American designer Thom Browne threw down a sharply tailored gauntlet at the Paris men’s show’s last month, which London designers are going to find hard to beat at upcoming Men’s day at London Fashion Week. As a favourite of mine, I thought I’d give you a taste of what we’ll all be craving come autumn.
Browne, with his contemporary take on formal dandy style has once again proven he’s a cut above the rest with a nostalgic A/W collection, which includes all the expected seasonal traits and a powerful English country gentleman feel.The show lived up to his previous runway collections; eccentric, dramatic and fanciful. The collection, entitled The Turkey Banquette was set around a large banqueting table that the models paraded around adding to the sense of grandeur and entertainment Browne enjoys and pulls off so well.
As well as the anticipated Thom Browne trademarks of a grey palette, shrunken distorted tailoring and his red, white and blue stripes which Browne has perfected and reinvented over the seasons, the new collection also has a Dickensian dandy, Bourbon French feel. Browne pulls off this sense of luxury with a bright colour palette and a quirky humour, reminiscent of Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter in the 3D adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.Browne blended burnt browns and burgundy’s with flashes of blue, green and sliver which complimented the plaids layered over plaids in various sizes, colours and textures. There was a huge emphasis on tailored layering with the full length top coat taking centre stage. Being A/W there was a heavy reliance on knitwear and accessories; from giant mittens, scarves, bobble hats to the Thom Browne staple, the on display sock.
As much as the collection was a wild fantasy of Browne’s creativity, it’s very wearable and a hugely successful collection for the high street to mimic. London designers have a lot to answer for next week if they want to top Thom, but something tells me we’ll pull the A/W must haves out the trend setting hat.
