September 8, 2016 |
Let’s get this out of the way. “Everything started with Slim Aarons and his photography, loosely referencing wetsuits and the idea of how it’s one piece.” This was the inspiration Thom Browne told me backstage after his SS17 show. But let’s not take this too seriously. As Mr Browne explained there was ‘no deep meaning or profound statements’; it was not a serious story, confirmed by the presence of a goddess woman wearing a Hector-shaped disco ball hat. If you don’t know, Hector Browne is Thom’s beloved dog. He’s on Instagram, as of the last couple of weeks, FYI. He was backstage too. He’s fabulous. So fabulous that Thom turned Hector into something the ladies in his show were mesmerised by. Why? “Just because it was fun. Because I wanted to.” King Hector, the God of all Thom Browne women. But this was really all about stripping down his classic tailoring. “The real idea is looking at the quality and the work that went into creating those trompe-l’oeil’d pieces. That’s the real concept of the show,” he told me. “I wanted people to enjoy the colour and the fantastic world, that’s the reason why the birds and the cats are fantasy.” Voluminous kaftans revealed fabulous colourful embroidered pieces, each an optical illusion that forced perspective, which then revealed knitted bathing suits. Simply because Browne wanted the women uncover something else, a little mystery. Shoes were mismatched and oversized sunglasses were shaped like fish. This was, thankfully, just a good time. “I think there can still be magic in fashion… and there still is,” he told me. And it was magical. Clever magic. Which is what he does best.
Photographs courtesy of Thom Browne
