NYFW diary: Praying at the alter of Thom Browne, professorial prep at Brooks Brothers

After climbing 3 sets of Jack-and-the-Beanstalk sized stairs at the New York Public Library, I reach my destination along with 50 other huffing/puffing journos: Thom Browne’s womenswear presentation. Two alter boys (dressed like Thom Browne twins in matching shrunken blazers and walking shorts) kneel and pray, while haunting choral music fills the large room. No one speaks. It feels very Eyes Wide Shut. Then the magic begins. Models dressed in pure-as-the-driven-snow nun habits flutter their mile-long faux lashes to Browne’s soundtrack of choice, The Sound of Music’s “How do you solve a problem like Maria?”

Well, in Browne’s case, you tell her to ditch her religious duds and throw on a quirky mismatched checkered suit (tapered cropped trousers, of course), a cocoon coat-gone-collegiate (Browne’s signature red, white and navy blue striping appears everywhere in this collection), a transparent trench coat, lace-up oxford heels, a camel topper with luxe mink trim or a grey old boys club blazer. Leave your bible on the nightstand and carry an immaculate wafer-thin briefcase instead. Amen.

Over at Brooks Brothers, Browne’s other place of worship (he designs their high-end Black Fleece collection), the fall womenswear line-up channeled East Coast professorial prep, with its bow blouses, tweed jackets with suede elbow patches, day-in-the-country cable knits, long pleated skirts, leather/pony hair knee-high boots, tone-on-tone camel and smart structured shoulder bags. Head of the class, indeed.

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