Thom Browne’s couture debut at Paris Fashion Week sure stupefied the entire fashion industry last July. And now, he’s back with an explicit tribute to Edgar Allan Poe. Truth be told, my introduction to the poet and his literary repertoire was just limited to dark academia accounts on the gram. You know the ones with lovelorn poetry and crushed flowers as the border, yeah that. Taking this entire aesthetic up a notch, Thom Browne’s showcase felt like a display mourning the literary arts in an age when no one reads books, let alone poems.
Actor Carrie Coon read ‘The Raven,’ the Poe poem, throughout the runway show, that took place in The Shed, the Hudson Yards culture hub, to conclude New York Fashion Week on Valentine’s Day. While most may define the aesthetic as gloomy and dreary, it somehow avoided going too far into gothic realm and retained Browne’s signature elegance and timeless design with his structured tailoring. Known for sticking to his reds, whites, and blues, this time Thom Browne’s palette was mostly achromatic with bold red lips.
As the current chairman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Thom Browne’s aptitude for storytelling is unmatched. He has staged his shows in fictitious cathedrals, enchanted gardens, and even distant planets (fictional ones, duh). This time, Browne’s models strolled calmly and carefully through a snow-covered wasteland with sparse trees instead of strutting a runway and were characters in his vision. Stars Rachel Brosnahan, R&B royalty Janet Jackson and Queen Latifah and South Korean singer Seulgi were in attendance.
Highlights include black-and-white tweed, semi-translucent bags, and oversized jackets. A few jackets had the poem’s term ‘Nevermore’ embroidered on the backs. A sheer black top adorned with roses and a sheer skirt added a rare glimpse of skin for the label. Numerous models had two antenna-like braids that reached up toward the sky, defying gravity. Special shoutout to the hair team for their flawless execution on the mane front.
It’s hardly a happy ending for ‘The Raven.’ But as Thom Browne’s audience and he were celebrating Valentine’s Day, Browne transformed his post-performance bow into a sentimental gesture, bringing to his longstanding companion Andrew Bolton, the prominent curator at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a massive red heart-shaped box filled with chocolates. Gotta love love.
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