Thom Browne holds a ‘Teddy Talk’ in playful toy-themed show
NEW YORK (AP) — The 500 audience members were sitting in neat rows, and they’d definitely gotten the memo on attire: All were perfectly dressed in a classic gray Thom Browne suit.
They were very quiet, too, perhaps because they knew Browne’s show Friday evening was a special occasion, held in New York rather than Paris where he usually stages shows, to coincide with Monday's Met Gala. But also probably because they were stuffed animals.
To be precise, these were teddy bears, lined in tiny chairs to hear a motivational “Teddy Talk.”
It was yet another Browne extravaganza, more a slice of theater or performance art than a runway show, this time with an unusually playful vibe. In his narrated script, Browne — a consummate showman who is also one of America's most successful designers — sought to educate the crowd of bears and humans (in bigger chairs) about finding one’s authentic self. In this case, Browne was saying, we all have a “toy version” that’s more exaggerated and crazier, but one that’s worth connecting with.
How did this high concept connect to fashion? That’s a question that Browne answers, luckily, with ensembles that are small feats of creative engineering. Here, his toy-store theme extended from countless versions of his classic gray suit, trimmed and pleated in brightly colored silks, to his whimsical handbags and footwear, like the alphabet-block purses and platform shoes, or the “Hector” handbags, inspired by his own dog, extended to toy ponies and other nursery creatures.
The show, staged in an airy theater on Manhattan's far west side, began with two huge doors opening on an imaginary shop. A few shoppers entered in tweeds and tall, stovepipe-like hats, a vaguely 19th-century look. One group together carried an extra-long “Hector” bag, with three...