PFW16: Thom Browne Fall 2016 Menswear Collection

Remember story time back in grade school? Remember how excited you would be as you sat “cross-cross-applesauce” or “Indian-style” as the teacher read to you? Story-telling has always been at the fore front of almost every conversation. It’s takes a certain person to give a story the dramatics it needs for it to come across as good. It also takes a certain person to make the story a bore. If you know anything about me when it comes to Fashion, then you know I am obsessed with Thom Browne. The Alexander McQueen of American Designers. No other designer in America tells a story quite like Mr.Browne, no other designer here is also as creative, that could be argued but I’d simply ask you who? As one begins to flip “scroll” the images/lookbook of this collection you start to see quite a bit of repetition, and tons of what we would deem “raggedy“, and or distressed clothing. Fret not, of course this was done purposely to tell a what? Yes dear, a STORY! See how that came full circle? Even I can admit, I didn’t quite catch on at first, but I did notice a pattern, two & two just wasn’t put together so quick. Picture it! There I was with my MacBook on my lap keeping up with what was happening 6 hours ahead of my time. Back against the wall as I sat on my bed in my miniature NYC apartment. I started scrolling through the looks as soon as they were available. I couldn’t get what Thom had done, well I got it, I saw what seemed to be deconstructed clothing or was it the illusion of wear & tear? I pondered. What was my favorite mad man trying to convey to me through fabric. Was this a test of Morris-code? As I scrolled I would go forward and then backwards, then backwards and forwards, and then back back, forth and forth. There lied a sequence; “That minor in pre-law” really helped my judgement skills. There was some type of logic being displayed. I pondered again and then I caught on. Three stages of one look was being created. I used the analogy of the hand me down system to gather my thoughts properly. The collection laid everything out using the “Benjamin Button effect” from old to new it went. Here’s how this can be best explained. Start at look 2, being that look one is two identical models wearing the exactly same thing. That’s not important, what is important is look 2,3, and 4. Look 2 being at the stage of the clothing literally falling apart, look 3 at the stages of raggedy “wear &,tear” and look 4 being the brand new wardrobe. It continued like that throughout the entire collection. Even before I used deductive reasoning to make sense of what I was seeing, I thought to myself “Thom would never do this“, he would never send a man out into the streets of reality wearing non-steamed or pressed clothing” Ring the Alarm- Que Beyoncé. When you know a designers aesthetic such as I know Thom’s you catch onto things like that at the blink of an eye. Upon further research, I found myself learning that the story behind this particularly special collection was “about 13 guys revisiting their gentleman’s club of 30 years ago” and evolution of time if you will. Can you picture that? Let’s make this relatable. Think of the days when you were in college, “if you went, if not think of High school” I’m sticking with college since I went. In college I’m sure you and your closest friends at that time had a certain spot you loved to frequent it was so sort your go to place. What if every time you visited that place you wore the same thing? Imagine how that clothing from 3 years ago “my case” and if you’re talking about freshman year make it 7 years ago” would look right now. The discoloration from the sun beaming on it, the rips in between your crotch area from the jeans scratching together so much. Scary right, what would those clothes look like today? No let’s rewind and go back in time. It’s senior year of college and you’re still holding onto those pants from freshman year. “Your jeans”, are pretty much garbage or a last resort now, now let’s go backwards one year “junior year” you still throw them on to go to class on the days when you may only have one or two, let’s jump back towards sophomore year there still in good shape no body can even tell they’re old, finally it’s 2009 and you’re a freshman with all new clothing. Viola, that was the story of Thom Browne’s Fall 2016 menswear collection. “A place in time“, makes you think about life right, and what happened to that one shirt you use to have. Story time is over folks! You’re welcome!