"This is the story of ten beautiful girls who died for fashion, and twice a year for each season they come back to life through their dreams"That was the gist of the introduction that was read aloud to us in a dimly candle-lit room within the New York Public Library, filled with 10 coffins containing masked models suited in Thom Browne. Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" playing in the background. The show that followed truly felt as though we were transported into that dream. One by one the models entered, walking slowly as if time had come to a lull. The clothing itself was pure fantasy, each garment exaggerated in its own whimsical way; From pencil skirts with far too many buttons extending down to the model's ankles, to abstracted jackets that barely echoed their traditional forms - completely recreating the human figure. There was one dress adorned with mirrors in a harlequin pattern that left a trail of reflections on the floor. There was a bittersweet element of the show as well, because remember - these are the dreams of girls who have died. The score switched to the "Ice Dance" theme from Edward Scissorhands and I began to notice the nostalgic elements of the clothing - shawls in the shapes of animals, soft spikes protruding from the suits like cartoon'esque distortions. As much as Thom Browne is known for his usage of fetish, this collection also touched on childlike innocence - the final model resembling how I would picture an imaginary queen of dinosaurs.
I left the show feeling touched, with an emotional connection to the performance. And isn't that how we, as members of the fashion industry, should want to react to collections? It is easy to forget to dream in a business that favors formulaic runways and stale presentations - specifically in New York. All I can say, is thank goodness for Thom Browne.
For the rest of the photos, please see my post on
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