After years and years of women’s designers causing so many of us to ask “WTF is *that*? I can’t wear that thing!” Brooks Brothers’ designer Thom Brown has come up with a collection for men that has us asking the same question…
I swear this was styled by Uncle Fester Addams
This is a prime example of the major problem with “designers that so many of us reasonable human beings have with them. So many seem to live in a precious bubble where everyone tells them they’re artists and what they’re doing is “revolutionary” or whatever that they lose sight of the small things: like, practicality. Like nobody’s really going to wear padded shoulders that high. We already did that in the 1980′s. Over, done with, move on. As for this look….:
Browne apparently attended the Alexander McQueen retrospect at the Met over the summer, and afterward was frightened out of his wits by a Lily Pulitzer summer collection (pick a year, those are her colors.) He discovered those high laced lumberjack boots at that great camping supply store in Northampton, and must know that *anybody* can buy scads of brass safety pins at a little shop in the Garment District for next to nothing!
My friend Jen, who posted a link to this pictorial on Regretsy.com wondered what the models might be thinking that they’re faces are so stern.
I’d hazard a guess that they’re concerned for their modeling careers….
Maybe if there was something *original* in the collection (well, maybe that overblown 1920′s football player look *is* original,) or if it had some kind of story to go along with it, I might be able to place it in a certain context and perhaps see it as artistic expression (but that’s a stretch.)
Sad thing, too, is that I doubt there’s even a club scene to support this kind of look these days. So much of it seems kind of retro Front 242–the black and white stuff anyway. Yet I don’t think there’s that much of a fun, drugged-out, over the top, kinda gothy-industrial, club scene, even in New York, these days. Maybe small parties, but is a guy going to shell out tons of money for an ensemble he can only wear to the premiere of the next John Waters’ film??
Seriously, honey badger! why do that when all one needs to do is hit up Salvation Army and a place where they sell scads of brass safety pins. Really! It’s not all that difficult to copy this look. Unless you’re looking for those embroidered ducks. Then again, a good sewing machine can make those for you too….
I don’t know whether to be horrified or laugh…..
Then again, if I see this stuff in Hot Topic next year, I’ll probably wish I’d been on the bandwagon. Or not.
More Browne madness at Black Rainbow Extraordinaire magazine
Update: after posting a link to this post on Facebook, one of my friends said the shoulder pads were reminiscent of David Byrne. Don’t know how I missed that one. However, this jogged my memory of football motifs and I came up with the Marx Brothers’ film “Horsefeathers.” I’m sure if I continued to parse out this collection I’d find more kitsch-y pop culture references. If I’d seen something like this collection emerge from the streets or clubs, yes, I’d say fashion and I’d say fun. Emerging from some guy’s crazy brain? Not so much. More like comedy, less like fashion.
Ouch those actually ‘hurt’ to look at.
yep. totally painful on the eyeballs.