WTF, Browne?

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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Sigh...must you always nitpick what I write without looking at overall context?

All I said was that he failed to bring his fetish to mainstream fashion, and by his fetish I mean in its truest form, showing ankles is obviously not even close to scratching the surface of TB's fetish. If this collection has shown us anything, it's this:

He obviously is more twisted than we thought and even the industry is directly making fun of him now.

As well, I didn't say everything he made was bad, I did mention that some pieces were wearable. Please read what I write, not what you assume I write.

Jon.

He only got the BB account thanks to a certain Vogue editor...luckily for him; she has just a bit of clout.
because what you wrote was absurd and divorced from reality.

Originally Posted by kronik

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You are so argumentative about everything; why is that?

Are you kidding me? He stated a point, a rebutted it, its called point / counterpoint...

Anyways, surely BB would not make a business decision to capture a new customer and reach a new audience solely based on the whims of a Vogue editor. Though I'm not a TB fan (I like some of his stuff), there are not many people doing what he's doing, at the level which he's doing it. Michael Bastian, BoO, Timothy Hamilton.. who else has mainstream acceptance/saturation? It was a good decision, on their part; hopefully in 2 years, they go with someone else.

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You would hope so, but if BB's shaky and financially insecure recent history has taught us anything, it's that they gamble a lot with trends, and do not seem to think things through; an example of this was pointed out in this very thread. If BB had the foresight of say RL (the big pony might be hideous, but it was a calculated risk that worked, due to its initial limited exposure) it would be a different story. Just because I don't like something does not mean I don't think it will sell well, this collection however...

While I feel that most of his runway show is hideous, I also realize that "wearability" was probably not at the forefront of his design.

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That's akin to saying that drivability wasn't at the forefront of a particular cars design...! Clothes are supposed to be wearable, if not what's the point? There are pieces of clothing that have been planned and made purely for their aesthetic design, but these pieces were never intended to be worn, nor were they shown as useable pieces of clothing. The same cannot be said about TB.

Jon.

Originally Posted by iammatt

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because what you wrote was absurd and divorced from reality.



Jon.

Originally Posted by kronik

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While I feel that most of his runway show is hideous, I also realize that "wearability" was probably not at the forefront of his design.

Kronik, I think we should definitely heed your words as you are at the forefront of fashion. I mean, in your pic below, the combo of the pants with those boots is not something I would do, but you rock it like no other. The jacket leaves me speechless. You are the man, I just wish you wouldn't be so shy and instead of PMing me your pics you would post your outfits here.

Originally Posted by edmorel

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Kronik, I think we should definitely heed your words as you are at the forefront of fashion. I mean, in your pic below, the combo of the pants with those boots is not something I would do, but you rock it like no other. The jacket leaves me speechless. You are the man, I just wish you wouldn't be so shy and instead of PMing me your pics you would post your outfits here.

Jon.

Originally Posted by CTGuy

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Not sure if you actually disagree with me.

No. I don't necessarily disagree. It was just a good jumping off point for my diatribe.

Though the Gap is a great resource for people that desire inexpensive, utilitarian clothing.-- not that I desire anything from The Gap myself.

I enjoy seeing TB runway shows for their sheer out-there-ness, it's like a performance art piece. Pretentious? sure, but entertaining nonetheless.

Guys on here DO realize that stores aren't going to sell flower covered suits and man-hulas right? The actual clothes that end up in shops are always amazing, albeit very expensive.

I love the penny collar shirts, it's my personal fave collar that I always get made at Jantzen, and maybe Browne doing this will get other brands to do a season's worth too. The white laceups (brogues?) also looked great.

This one reminds me of a carwash:

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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Are you kidding me? He stated a point, a rebutted it, its called point / counterpoint…


Ironically hilarious. Point. You also mean to say that you rebutted it, not "a rebutted it." You seem to be amidst the dichotomy of "point/counterpoint" constantly, hence "argumentative."

That’s akin to saying that drivability wasn’t at the forefront of a particular cars design…! Clothes are supposed to be wearable, if not what’s the point? There are pieces of clothing that have been planned and made purely for their aesthetic design, but these pieces were never intended to be worn, nor were they shown as useable pieces of clothing. The same cannot be said about TB.

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Incorrect. There are show cars for audio shows that are indeed "cars," but are not intended to be used as daily drivers nor can they effectively function as such. The same is true here. These clothes CAN be worn (they're being modeled). They, more likely than not, are not intended to be your attire into the world of non-conceptual fashion.

Ed, first I'm mocked on Fuk and now here? Brotha can't wear his pink Diors in peace?

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

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People say he lacks creativity or any design talent (I guess when he was the creative director of Club Monaco they just randomly plucked him off the street?) and I really don't think he is going for that. Look at the heart of what his business is...the grey suit, white oxford and matching grey tie. That's his Tribeca store, that's his philosophy, that's HIM. Like I said above the fashion and crazy stuff is him able to have fun in fashion, push people's buttons, sell a few of those things to a crazy Japanese kid, gain lots of editorial coverage and things like that.

I'm admittedly well out of my depth here but do you think he can really make a career out of just that pared down aesthetic?

When the fashion pendulum swings away from a 50-60s inspired minimalism do you think he'll change things up or just keep doing what he has been donig?

Originally Posted by kronik

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Ironically hilarious. Point. You also mean to say that you rebutted it, not "a rebutted it." You seem to be amidst the dichotomy of "point/counterpoint" constantly, hence "argumentative."

I mistyped, that should have been "˜I'. What I think is ironic is that you come to a forum expecting people to goosestep to your tune. How boring the world would be if we all thought like you did.

Incorrect. There are show cars for audio shows that are indeed, in cars, but are not intended to be used as daily drivers nor can they effectively function as such. The same is true here. These clothes CAN be worn (they're being modeled). They, more likely than not, are not intended to be your attire into the world of non-conceptual fashion.

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Then it's not really a car is it? It's merely a shell showcasing an audio system. I want some to prove to me that the carwash thing is wearable in public. Forget about if it's actually possible to don the clothes on, would one indeed be able to wear them in public without well, looking utterly ridiculous?

And if that picture truly is you, I can see where you are coming from, but you will be unable to see where I'm coming from.

Jon.

If I were Thom Browne, every night when I got home, I would sit in my living room and laugh like Steve McQueen in the Thomas Crown affair, about how easily duped the public is.

Does anyone remember that old Saturday Night Live skit with Bill Murray as Ralph Lauren, getting help with his new collection from fairies?

Originally Posted by Edward Appleby

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- you can't simply brush aside every runway design that people criticize as something just for the runway or just to get attention, and then shift the focus to other runway pieces that somehow count more. Last time I checked, runway show weren't supposed to be totally divorced from the collections themselves. Ostensibly, everything he shows, on the runway or in the store, should somehow reflect some facet of the aesthetic of his collection. You can't just designate everything he makes that's ****** as being a stunt for attention and not really "counting" towards the aesthetic merit of the collection.

Actually I can. The point I was making was that the most outlandish things were of course picked by the posters here and used those to judge the collection. They aren't divorced from the collections...they help set a theme, feeling and all in all create exposure and media attention. Trust me on this...having sat at runway shows and then 2 days later sat in a showroom and worked on writing up an order it is a very different thing.

Runway shows have become a formality and media circus that worries more about which celeb is sitting in the front row. Buyers don't make their decisions at a show.

Originally Posted by SoCal2NYC

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Runway shows have become a formality and media circus that worries more about which celeb is sitting in the front row. Buyers don't make their decisions at a show.

Then what is the point of going? Other than networking, if one is in the industry, is there a reason to go?

Jon.

Originally Posted by imageWIS

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Then what is the point of going? Other than networking, if one is in the industry, is there a reason to go?

Jon.

Formality, prestige, get out of the office, have fun, see and be seen.

I'm not saying that all runway shows are void of any merit, they can help with music and model choice and everything else help convey the designer's creative vision for the season....which is what they sit and spend 5 min talking about in the showroom.

Originally Posted by Cantabrigian

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I'm admittedly well out of my depth here but do you think he can really make a career out of just that pared down aesthetic?

When the fashion pendulum swings away from a 50-60s inspired minimalism do you think he'll change things up or just keep doing what he has been donig?

But why not? I don't think that his core customers who go into his Tribeca store and buy their wardrobe of suits and shirts are sitting there and on style.com to follow up on the newest Bottega Veneta or Louis Vuitton runway show. These are the same people who get the pants hemmed with no break instead of above the ankle.

It's comfortable and it's easy...that never goes out of fashion.