True Grit: Thom Browne’s Varsity Couture Focuses On The Very Foundation Of Craftmanship

Thom Browne’s sophomore Haute Couture collection, presented in Paris during the Fall/Winter 2024 season, had no markings of a first-timer. In fact, the 48-piece range could be viewed as one of Browne’s most coveted, if the intimate crowd who gathered inside the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris were anything to go by. Indeed, Browne issued each of them with an exclusive atelier-style coat—made from a neutral muslin and emblazoned with the presentation’s location—to wear to the show. In doing so, he turned the act of watching a new season debut into a compulsory bid for participation.

It’s a fitting manoeuvre that recontextualises the practice of “spectator style,” particularly for a collection that fuses athleisure with the decorative arts and is set against the backdrop of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Similar to Dior’s Autumn/Winter 2024 Haute Collection presentation, Browne’s sportif turn was apparent from the starting block: a pearlescent ivory coat and blazer hemmed with the luxuriate’s tri-colour trim and adorned with a gilded olive tree leaf ‘Stafana’ crown paid homage to the Ancient Greek roots of the games.

In Browne’s grey flannel universe where the collegiate aesthetic reigns supreme, it’s only fitting that he explores the varsity personality. Especially now given the intersection between sport and style is at an all-time high. But given this is a Thom Browne collection, after all, it was nothing short of an epic procession set on his own playing field. As four-time Olympic gold medal holder, Serena Williams watched on from the front row, a group of burley (and shirtless!) models played a game of tug-of-war. (Editor’s Note: Williams did not wear the show invite, but rather a flirty take on tailoring with a pleated mini skirt and corset rendered with illustrations of Browne’s dachshund mascot, Hector.)

In this game of strength, it was the very foundation of craftsmanship, muslin, proving the victor. In each unique character, Browne demonstrated the extent of fabric manipulation and capabilities beyond the imagination. For the uninitiated, each couture garment first begins with a sample. A ‘toiles’ that provides the foundation of a silhouette. Here, Browne subverts the process of construction by supplanting the pattern as the end result. Tailoring was still a hallmark but softened with raw shoulder hems sliced from layers of fabric and pleated skirts that mimicked lightweight chiffon.

Even corsetry and metallic threads were spun from the rudimentary fibre. There is also something to be said about the deconstructed motif present throughout. In some looks, pieces appear to be unravelling from the body or cut off altogether, like in the boned mermaid skirt cascading down the legs in layers of undress.

At a time when athletes at the zenith of their capabilities will soon perform on the world stage, there’s a catharsis found in Browne acknowledging some things can remain incomplete. (If you were to ask a Matildas fan, it’s not very “‘Till It’s Done” of Browne, but an ethos we can embrace, nonetheless.)

Here, the blank palette became a canvas in and of itself. Of course, we can’t acknowledge this collection without appreciating the work of the atelier, or “Les petites mains” as they’re referred to in French. As this phrase translates to “the little hands”, it’s clear these works convert into big ideas.

Their most stirring work was embroidering an anatomical muscular system on the side of a cinched coat and rendering muslin into jackets made of bronze, silver and gold. The models that presented the final trio of looks carried dog purses fixed with medals around their necks, too.

Where will Browne be come the opening ceremony in July? Perhaps not in the makeshift stands lining the Seine, but his collection will fit right at home in the crowd. 

This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.