In jacket and matching shorts, which exposed well-defined gams that kneesocks couldn t quite hide, Thom Browne was his own best advertisement at a Bergdorf Goodman showcase.
As two of his favorite indie bands alternated playing short sets while sporting tailored outfits from his new collection, Browne declared that the T-shirt-and-jean uniform is now so ubiquitous that its anti-establishment credentials are shot. For young rockers, bespoke is the new rebel yell. That means gorgeous fabrics, French-cuffed shirts, mother-of-pearl buttons, and jackets with surgeon s sleeves (the buttonholes work!).
But Browne s new clothes are about more than just tradition. He likes awkwardness (it undercuts the boringness of perfection), which is why his signature outfit is that shorts suit, proportioned like a boy s school uniform. There was awkwardness in his other proportions, too: the cropped jackets and trousers, the checked coat with high slash pockets (evoking the self-consciousness of a preteen Prince Charles), the button-down collar on a fitted shirt whose short sleeves also featured a tiny buttoned cuff.
The general air of subtle subversion was also evident in the rough-and-smooth contrast of a crumpled evening shirt under a raw-silk jacket or the twisted mod sharpness of a three-piece suit in palest lemon brocade. Odd—but so confident and luxurious that it became an object of desire.
