Thom Browne debuts at Paris Haute Couture Week

American fashion designer Thom Browne unveiled his inaugural women’s and men’s couture collection at Paris Haute Couture Week with a theatrical display at the Palais Garnier in front of 2,000 cardboard cutouts of men in grey suits.

The grey theme continued throughout the collection, showcasing elements of Browne’s classic American sportswear filtered through the lens of couture “for one night only,” added the designers in the show notes.

Inspired by the solo traveller wandering through the train station, Browne presented a scene complete with porters in roped shoulder jackets and pleated skirts, a giant cloche bell, pebbled leather luggage, and even pigeons, the fake kind, as well as one portrayed by American theatre producer Jordan Roth in a pigeon headpiece.

As every train station needs a train and Browne finished the show with a dramatic and beautiful sheer white tailored wedding dress, modelled on the quintessential Thom Browne suit, complete with shoulder pads, a tie, and a collar constructed with layers of tulle and organza for optimal translucence, and a ten-foot train.

The rest of the collection was filled with shades of grey, textures, and a hint of humour, with models draped in three-dimensional bell-shaped trompe l’oeil wool tailoring fused with rounded tweed silhouettes made up of seersucker tulle, grosgrain ribbon, mélange pouf yarn, and sheer organza lace, as well as platform shoes with bells on, and statement make-up.

From the train to the sea, Browne then showcased fully canvassed coats and tailoring accented with aquatic iconography of crustaceans, lighthouses, ropes, and anchors, alongside a mermaid covered in gold bullion scales. There were also sequin encrusted dresses, moulded jacket skirts, and brogue platforms, as well as embroidered coat dresses wrapped in trompe l'oeil body silk drapes, and full-length, mixed tweed trench with hand embroidered grey and gold bullion thread with oversized collar and epaulettes.

Browne also presented several accessories, including the oversized Mr. Thom and Hector bags and new Bermuda bags.