Mood board: The opening looks at Thom Browne’s A/W 2017 show all looked identical at first glance. However, the full body suits – like those worn by matadors – impeccably fitted to the body and cut in delicate herringbone wool, were adorned with hundreds of covered buttons that created a different line on each. Suits were exquisitely precise and incredibly elegant. There was a foamy brutalism to the way Browne chose to show his clothes in their single fabric and modular layering. And it was utterly beautiful.
Scene setting: The pace was measured and intense; one by one, models trod slowly around a large, square catwalk wearing exaggerated platform brogues. To a broken orchestral soundtrack, a second set came wearing flat, rigid pattern pieces followed by a third rotation of Browne’s signature surreal tailoring. In the centre of the catwalk lay neat piles of thick grey felt cut into the patterns used in the atelier.
Best in show: A shrunken sleeve frock-coat, worn with shorts over trousers, continued the buttoned-up look. The silhouette was fitted and neat but with a playful, architectural quality; the sides of jackets and trousers could be buttoned open to create new shapes. Dismiss Browne at your peril – these suits are sharp, snappy and special.
