27 June 2024 |
Who fancies a fabulous game of tug of war? That was the scene at Thom Browne’s second ever couture show Monday afternoon, which opened with a series of models clad in crisp white blazers and kilts pushing and pulling at a giant rope. What followed was a glorious display of deconstructed tailoring and otherworldly frocks that were largely created using muslin – a plain, untreated fabric that is typically used to make couture toiles, not the finished product.
The lightweight material allows couture ateliers to experiment and push their design capabilites when concocting elevated looks for fashion’s elite. Browne decided to bring muslin from the cutting room to the catwalk to “expose intricate layers of work, an important part of thom browne’s commitment to recontextualizing classic tailoring”, read the show notes. The strict parameters of Browne’s uniforms were completely blown out the water. Suiting came in hourglass, asymmetrical proportions, or swollen in size and frothing with layers upon layers of muslin in different weights and treatments. Pieces came threaded with meticulous gold beading, or were glorious in their semi-transparent, patched work makings. As ever with Browne’s work, there was an off-kilter, sporty tint to many of the pieces. From the soccer-style, gold studded boots that migrated up leg, to the micro tennis skirts worn with bronze coated, floral-adorned blazers. Such grand, experimental pieces would make a standout, celebratory wardrobe for any Olympic champion this summer.
Photography courtesy of Thom Browne.
