Dark ones

Thom Browne FW15
By Lewis Firth | 26 January 2015
Photography Virginie Khateeb

Three rooms were open at one side: an installation-like showing from Thom Browne for FW15. What did it represent? People began to speculate. Not much furniture either – very minimal. Walls and furnishings were changed from white to black by a model before he went to sleep. A reflection of our consciousness, our behaviour? Or death?

A precession of mourners filled the runway. Bleak, dark and gothic: like they were imagined by Tim Burton himself, especially with the animated hair. Top hats were made be marvellous milliner, Stephen Jones, and coloured and patterned in step with the vacuous black ensembles, dashes of gleaming white and inky navy the only time-outs. Some models’ faces were ghostly, masked by translucent lace.

Black turtles were embroidered on suit jackets, long coats and trousers, while one was made fully into a black, leather bag. A reference to death – or, its resistance to it: the reptile is known for its extremely long life span.

Skirts, tights and netting playing a gender-ambiguous part in Browne’s dark parade. Length and shape dictated garments, with cropped suit jackets, long coats, and shorts all being worn at once, creating impressive, complementary combinations. Repeating motifs constructed border-like patterns, executed conspicuously using a matelassé technique to create texture and depth on patent leather and fine wools. 

Another imagination-provoking collection from a designer who knows his stage well.

GALLERYBackstage images from Thom Browne FW15





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