Though only a relative handful of designs were chosen for the exhibit, Impact represents nearly every major American designer of the past 50 years — from Pauline Trigère to Diane von Furstenberg, Halston to Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren to Calvin Klein, Oscar de la Renta to Thom Browne and Donna Karan to Rodarte.

“For someone like me who wasn’t born in America, Impact almost sounds like a 1950s American car,” explained CFDA pres DVF on a walkthrough of the exhibit yesterday. “That’s what America is about. It’s about precise fashion, and not fashion for the sake of fashion. It combines fashion and street, and fashion and life.”

400 active members of the CFDA were asked to choose one look that best represented them or made the most impact on their careers, while museum curators Patricia Mears and Fred Dennis chose for the dearly departed. Work of members whose pieces were not chosen for the installation are displayed in evening vignettes and video projections.

“Not all the CFDA members could be included on the gallery floor,” CFDA CEO Steven Kolb told WWD, “so we created an interactive directory of all members presented on 10 iPad stations throughout the exhibit.”

There’s also a media room where visitors can use iPads to scroll through a timeline of CFDA history and key moments in American fashion. And not ones to be left behind on the social media front, there’s even a hashtag for the Twitter-inclined — #impactcfda.

“We didn’t know what designers would send, so every day felt like birthday with a surprise,” Mears said. “In some cases, we got things that were very clear. When you see the Diane von Furstenberg [wrap] dress, you know it’s hers. When you see the Ralph Lauren [Americana] ensemble, you know it’s Ralph.”

And sometimes, things weren’t so clear. For instance, Marc Jacobs initially wanted a look from his then-controversial but now-iconic 1993 gunge collection for Perry Ellis, but since he didn’t own any of it Anna Sui donated a dress from her private collection.

“For me, the great difficulty with American fashion is that we are so diverse,” Mears continued. “You have the most flamboyant ballgowns and the most wearable and accessible garments. Everything speaks to the product coming out of what I call the American machine — the design machine, the manufacturing machine, the retailing machine, the marketing machine. All of it is part of American fashion over the last 50 years, and I hope that diversity is reflected here.”

Impact: 50 Years of the CFDA will run from February 10 through April 17 and will definitely be a must-see during Fashion Week. [WWD, sub req'd]

With sites like Wear Ever You Are, it makes it easier to find sites with clothes you love. You want to shop small and indie, and yet also consolidate all your finds in one spot. You also want to easily share your uncovered gems with your friends for feedback. You and your friends can follow each other and see what’s in the others’ carts. This makes it so you don’t accidentally (or do, weirdo) go all copycat. It also makes shopping for a friend’s birthday present easy as pie. It’s like your own ongoing registry.

They make it stupid easy to use. You just drag the icon on their homepage into your bookmark bar. Then when you see something you like, click that button! That’s it! (I’m starting to feel like I should be breaking out the knife set yelling But Wait There’s More! But I’m just seriously jazzed about this Have to Have.)

Want to know more? The site’s founders Kimberly Skelton and Carla Holtze became friends at Columbia and bonded over their voracious online shopping appetites. Together they realized there must be a better way! So they created that place themselves (and with a whole team of tech, etc). A few years, several test sites and meticulous construction has brought the site into a reality we all Have to Have.

Photo: JM Houle/Vogue

Where have they been travelling?

Rachel Roy: “I was in Ghana at the orphanage that Margherita Missoni introduced me to. She and her mom work on it, and now myself and my daughter my older one, we work on it. Kids run up to the cars as you’re arriving. Little girls, they wanted my lipgloss. It’s the same everywhere! In terms of what can make someone feel god about themselves, it’s universal.”

Thom Browne: “I just got back from back from Tokyo, and it’s amazing. Tthe best place to go is to the Okura Hotel and experience the lobby.”

Clothing essentials for the journey?

Rachel Roy: It depends because I have 2 distinct lives when traveling. I have with my girls, because then it has to be comfortable and quick: for example I’m taking my girls to Miami this weekend, so in my bag I will have men’s Levis 501s and indian thong sandals. And I won’t take them off. Then I have business, so that means I’m usually presenting a collection so I’m wearing something from the collection.

Thom Browne: A grey suit! Of course.

Were/are you a thrifter?

Rachel Roy: I grew up shopping in Salvation Army by necessity. I wasn’t that cool of a 12-year-old, I just couldn’t afford anything. And I didn’t like the options in Mervins. Also I was quite tall so things didn’t fit. I liked the hunt of it, and to this day there is not a garage sale – well you’re not gonna find them in NY, but if I’m away – that I can’t walk by without stopping. I can’t stop looking. One strong passion is making something beautiful out of something someone has discarded. That was pretty much my childhood. The other is proving that things really aren’t modern today unless you mix it.

Thom Browne: I used to be, but not as much now. [My involvement with Fashion for Action is] more for the organization [Housingworks]. It’s an amazing organization, they do such amazing work and give back. I think we’re all so lucky, it’s nice to be able to give back.

Shop Housingworks year round in NYC for thrift worth the hunt.

The Fashion for Action sale is going on at The Altman Building 135 West 18th Street, (between 6th and 7th avenues) from November 17-19th.

For the Newborn Lez

Photos from Style.com

Sam‘s Faves

Prabal/Style.com

- Ralph Lauren: “For the ostrich feather boas.”

- Diane von Furstenberg: For handing out little American flags in honor of 9/11 and for making an outfit that anyone could wear.

- Prabal Gurung: “For using one print 100 ways, and also for clever cutouts.”

- 3.1 Phillip Lim: ”For his tasty sherbert color palette.”

- The Row: “For dressing the old ladies that the Olsen twins were born to be.”

PRABAL GURUNG

The color blocking intricacies and power shapes make me ever kick myself for missing his debut in The Tents for Fall 2010. But it was his ability to unravel that structure for this season that makes me even more excited for what’s next.

Fall 2010

A Brief History of Gurung: After studying fashion and working in production and design India, he designed under the tutelage of Manish Arora and Cynthia Rowley. He then left his position as Design Director for Bill Blass to start his own label, which launched in February 2009.

From this collection you can tell that Thom abhors two things for Spring 2012: pants & sleeves.

I say this because it seems as if this collection is void of the two. He deconstructs the traditional suit jacket be removing the sleeves or not adding places for them in the first place. He also plays with suiting by chaining up proportions, lapels, and hem finishing.

A trend that seems to e emerging is skirts on men. Some designers such as Rick Owens have kept them a staple but it seems more mainstream designers are picking up on this pantless kick.

My favorite part of this show had to be the fringe. I don’t know who decided it was time for the flapper to return but it really works great and adds a flair that is seen in more womenswear that even menswear.

This collection does offer a slight variety of styles. There are a few options for the “average” man but mainly this collection is for someone who wants to be seen on the cutting edge of mens fashion.

Follow me on Twitter & visit my personal menswear blog for more pictures & Mens Fashion Week coverage: dailyMISTER.com

Held at New York’s Palace Hotel, we channeled out inner Chuck Bass and mingled in the Madison Room sipping on Belvedere “Thomas Tait” concoctions and the fanciest version of a breakfast sandwich I’ve ever seen (tapioca bacon balls with whipped egg and crunchy toast crumbs).

Last year’s winner Thomas Tait stood proudly by one of his stunningly sculptured pieces for Fall/Winter 2011.  Tait is now also a design consultant for one of the Dorchester Collection hotel’s newest locations.

The competition judges were whisked to the hotel in breathtaking Rolls-Royce Phantoms (ahem, Rolls Royce, feel free to send some love our way), where they mingled with last year’s winner and shared excitement for what type of talent was yet to come.  The panel includes: Giovana Battaglia, Derek Blasberg, Shala Monroque (photo above) Thom Browne, Francisco Costa, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Elizabeth Saltzman.

The winning collection by Thomas Tait.

Panel judges Thom Browne, Shala Monroque, Francisco Costa, Giovanna Battaglia, Derek Blasberg.

1. Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy

2. Olivier Theyskens of Theory

3. Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler

Though Jack looks super fun as he drunkenly tongues Thakoon (#10)

4. Nicolas Ghesquière of Balenciaga

5. Olivier Rousteing of Balmain

6. Joseph Altuzarra of Altuzarra

7. Thom Brown of Thom Browne/Moncler Gamme Bleu

8. Nicola Formichetti of Mugler

Nicola Formichetti, YEAH! Terry Richardson...not so much

9. Prabal Gurung (of Prabal Gurung)

10. Thakoon Panichgul of Thakoon

Humpable Hall of Fame: Tom Ford

and

Marc Jacobs

1. Quit this: Birkenstocks
A mandal by any other name would look as bad.

Hit this: Espadrilles
An Hermès espadrille may not be ideal for Ultimate Frisbee in the quad, but it’s more than appropriate for quick munchie runs.

2. Quit this: Tie-Dye
Psychedelia  gave us many things, none of them as enduring or as tacky as tie-dye.

Hit this: Bold prints
Pucci prints are as trippy as they come so you can easily get lost staring into them for hours on end.

3. Quit this: Hemp
A durable and versatile fabric, there are more chic ways to green your wardrobe, especially without using your green.

Hit this: Organic fabrics
If you’re all about sustainability and that crap, H&M‘s new Conscious Collection is easy on the environment and on your wallet.

4. Quit this: Puka shell necklaces
Ah, the puka shell necklace, or as I like to think of it, shorthand for letting everyone know you’re a complete tool.

Hit this: Statement jewelry
A statement necklace says something completely different, like “I’m high as a kite right now and I’m going to dress like it.”

5. Quit this: Ponchos
If you’ve been indulging a little too much in the late night Taco Bell, then by all means, drape an unflattering carpet over yourself.

Hit this: Capes
However, a cape like this Alexander McQueen number is a fashionable alternative to the poncho but on the other hand, so is anything else.

6. Quit this: Board shorts
Board shorts are appropriate on only one occasion, and that is on a surf board. Any other time is just an insult to surfers everywhere.

Hit this: Suit shorts
Tom Ford doesn’t think men should wear shorts at all, but Thom Browne doesn’t expect you to play hacky sack in a full-on pant during those hot summer months.

7. Quit this: Hawaiian shirts
Hawaiian shirts are appropriate on only one occasion, and that is on Charlie Sheen. Any other time is just an insult to Charlie Sheen…which is kind of all right.

Hit this: Paisley shirts
Odds are you won’t need much to cheer you up this 420, but paisley, like this Michael Kors top, can add a dash of curlicued sunshine to anyone’s day.

8. Quit this: Baggy jeans
“So okay, I don’t want to be a traitor to my generation and all but I don’t get how guys dress today. I mean, come on, it looks like they just fell out of bed and put on some baggy pants and take their greasy hair – ew – and cover it up with a backwards cap and like, we’re expected to swoon? I don’t think so.” – Cher Horowitz

Hit this: Harem pants
A harem pant gives you the same freeballin’ feeling of a pair of slouchy Levi’s hanging off your upper thighs and — bonus points — the drop-crotch acts as a great weed table if nothing else is around.

9. Quit this: American Eagle
For most of us, middle school is over and so is the Eagle.

Hit this: American Apparel
Going from the Eagle to the Apparel, though, is not so much a show of growth so much as a show of wanting to get laid. But even stoners need to slut it up sometimes.

10. Quit this: Beanies
A beanie is like the stoner equivalent of the little black dress. And though I would deign to ask any pothead worth his or her reefer to abandon their LBD…

Hit this: Newsboys
A newsboy cap adds a certain air of jauntiness and charm. I mean, who would you rather get high with, beanie boy or Brad Pitt? Though the beanie guy looks baked as all get out.

Happy Toking and remember to dress is human, to smoke divine.

Thom Browne has done great things for menswear, stretching the boundaries of male dressing while raising the hem on trousers to reveal the always sexy man ankle – mankle, if you will.  Now he brings his unique eye and expert tailoring to womenswear.

For the complete gallery, visit Lookbooks!

LINK LOVE: Fashionologie

Erik Sims, or Babs Stanwyck on the set of "The Lady Eve"?

Ever since DVF pioneered the wrap dress in the 70s, I have sought a male equivalent; that perfect piece to show off a lot of thigh yet still feel like a gentleman-like lady with a tightly-cinched waist. Throw a trenchcoat and a cowl over that dress and you’ve got my go-to ensemble for the rest of the fall.

As for the raccoon tails, they just lend an air of rustic glamour. The kind of glamour that says ‘I only come out at night. I have a dramatic kohl eye and perhaps a touch of rabies’.

For womanish men everywhere, tired of the same old pair of slacks and button downs, thank you, Thom Browne.

The film follows Delon as Jef Costello, a loner and assassin who leaves you wondering why he’s alone.  For God’s sakes, he’s a snappy dresser with killer looks (pardon the pun).  Check him out in this ensemble:

Slim, perfectly-tailored suit with a skinny black tie with high-waisted trousers a la those recently revived by Thom Browne and featured in the most recent Vivienne Westwood show.  Hell, if Scott Sternberg wanted to, he could’ve just as easily named his line after this classic of French cinema.

Now, the film being a noir and also set in Paris, the environs are almost perpetually gloomy, leaving way for many shots of Delon and the other film’s denizens in trenchcoats.

Again, check the fit, the sharp lines, the silhouette.  This shot may be from over four decades ago, but it’s more Burberry Prorsum or Margiela than London Fog.  It’s an outfit and shot that would look comfortable in an editorial out of AnOther: Man.  That’s not something the original Casino Royale (also 1967) could say.

And let’s not forget about the leading lady, little known actress Cathy Rosier.  Check out girl’s get-ups while playing a little game of free association.

Mme. Rosier’s dress is evocative of the nudes, creams, and camels which were so heavily featured on the runways this past winter.  Similar items abound from designers as diverse as Opening Ceremony, Halston, and Lanvin.

And hello sequins.  Although it’s not the right season, it’s not difficult to imagine women watching Le Samouraï today dreaming of similar pieces that dominated retailers such as Topshop, French Connection, Balmain, and Alice + Olivia.

Lastly, let’s take a look at this totally boss leopard print coat which brings to mind one label and one label only: Dolce & Gabbana who have established a reputation for creating beautiful garments in a variety of animal prints, most notably leopard.

In summation, Melville’s film is as stylish cinematically as it is, well, stylistically, and that’s what makes this a perfect first entry for Film Friday.  If you haven’t seen it yet, NetFlix it ASAP.  Pretty people in pretty clothes doing underhanded things.

See entire spread on Envy

Check out more from Barneys Co-Op here!

LINK LOVE: The Fashionisto

American designer Thom Browne teams up with New York label Supreme on a collection of oxford shirts. They will be available in three colorways starting this Thursday, March 25th.

LINK LOVE: NOTCouture via TheRiseAndFallBrooklyn

Find more photos like this on ENVY. THE FASHION NETWORK

LINK LOVE: GQ

Great pics of backstage at Thom Browne by Jack & Jil.

LINK LOVE

He might look like a clean cut Harvard graduate, but Jimmy Knehans is one of Nous Model Management’s fiercest and buff-est male models. His pretty face and pulsating pectorals have graced the pages of fashion mags as one of Nous most lovely of lovelies. Here he shares a little bit on his personal style and why the boys don’t always have to be boys.

FI: Marc Jacobs and Thom Browne have been making headlines with their take on men’s skirts. Are you a fan and is it a look you think you could pull off?

JK: Marc and Thom are two designers I respect a great deal.. Generally, I am a huge fan of both of them, but to speak specifically about men’s skirts, I love them. It is a look I’ve been pulling off daily for the past few months and one I will continue to rock until they sell men’s skirts at GAP…then I’ll have to re-assess the situation…

FI: The lines between men’s and women’s fashion has hit a crossroads in which more women are picking up more suiting and boyfriend jeans while more men are going glam with make-up and feminine stylings (leggings, deep v-necks, heels). As a fairly masculine model, is there anything you couldn’t ever seeing yourself wearing?

JK: I suggest we come up with a new term to describe what is happening today, “glam” was its own thing and what is happening now is something completely different. The traditionally “feminine stylings” you mentioned (leggings, deep v-necks, heels) can and are worn in a very masculine way, but it depends on who puts it on. As a “fairly masculine model,” I would like to say that there is nothing I wouldn’t wear due to the fact that “those could be girls clothes.” I choose clothes that make me feel good, as should everyone. Having said all that, there are no limits to what I may or may not feel good in at any time. I don’t see myself throwing on a pair of 5 inch pumps but i could surprise myself…

FI: Give me 3 Words to Describe “Justin Tranter”

JK: First I would like to say that limiting me to three words to describe such a wonder as Justin Tranter is evil and I couldn’t be more into it so here it goes…LOVE, DANGER, INSPIRING, AUTHENTIC, ALARM CLOCK…ok 6…

Now for your viewing pleasure. Some more picks of Jimmy Knehans.

Image via Gilt Groupe.

It’s been sometime since the Runway 2.0 event that I attended a couple weeks ago, but the looks that Tetsuma Ueda presented are yet to be lost in the abyss that is my brain. The fresh out of college designer had by far the most impressive collection I saw at the event, and I was determined to meet the young man behind these amazing pieces as I b-lined backstage. Tetsuma has some of the cleanest tailoring I have seen, especially for someone his age. His collection gives a very Thom Browne/Band of Outsiders vibe, that is rather apparent in the fitted and cuffed shorts, as well his use of suspenders and other classic accessories. I don’t know about you, but I could see this stuff flying off the racks at Opening Ceremony! I look forward to seeing more from this amazing young designer!

Gallery: DESIGNER TO KNOW: Tetsuma Ueda

Thom Browne’s CEO Tom Becker and CFO Thomas Cunningham decided to leave the company, according to Browne’s spokeswoman Miki Higasa. “Thom Browne had been thinking a lot about restructuring, and they decided it was time to leave to pursue other interests,” she said. Browne is running the company all by his lonesome and may bring on other executive types to help him. (Higasa says he’s in the “thinking stage.”)

Although Higasa refuted rumors that Browne is close to filing for bankruptcy, she confirmed that Browne is still looking for a financial partner and has been looking for one for three years.

Maybe he should venture into some lower prices collaborations, like Target…

LINKAGE: WWD

This look is super cool for those daring enough to pull it off, very similar to the suits of Thom Brown, but these capri pants have detailing at the cuff.  I also like it with a simple bright colored polo and matching socks.

LINKAGE: glam canyon

The rumors are a swirling people! The Cut is reporting that Mr. Thom Browne is going bankrupt due to pricing problems. This story also said that the menswear designer was having trouble finding financial backers to keep him from going under. Following all this mess, WWD Men’s came out saying that Browne has denied these rumors, and is doing quite well.

I don’t know who to believe! I feel like that boyfriend who doesn’t know who to trust, his best friend or his girlfriend, when he hears she’s been macking on other dudes. I know one thing, I don’t want to see Mr. Browne go! He is one of the greatest designers of our time, and plus who’s suits will I buy when I finally have enough money to afford a good one?

What do you think indies, is Browne on the down and out? Or is this a little white lie from The Cut?

Barney’s NY is sending a rock-inspired spring mailer featuring New York-based band The Virgins for their designer collections. Donald Cumming, Wade Oates and Nick Ackerman rock fashions from some of the hottest designers including Lanvin, Balenciaga, Thom Browne, Margiela, Dior Homme and more.

LINKAGE: Starworks

Coming out from the shadows, WWD reports that Jun Takahashi’s label Undercover is set to be the guest of honor at Pitti Immagine Uomo. Past guests included the famed Martin Margiela and Thom Browne.

Been dying to relive all your favorite Chris Farley “Fat Guy in a Little Coat” moments? Well you’re in luck, the new Thom Browne helmed Black Fleece store has opened it’s doors on Bleecker Street.

With lower price points and a softer collection of suiting for women, this little jewel in the Village is sure to keep Browne Nosers ankle deep in suiting goodness.

The Thom Browne man is a tortured business type who looks like everyone else. Don’t know if that was what he was going for, but that’s definitely what I see.

LINKAGE: Thom Browne Showcases Tortured Manhood in Florence

The latest collection from Martyn Bal is absolutely genius, thus making it a much anticipated collection for me. The new line is a solid mix of tans, greys and deep reds that come together so perfectly its disgusting. I think the most attractive part of the whole collection is the tailoring. I’m a tall, skinny, lanky guy, and due believe it or not, it’s almost impossible to find a suit that fit me well and is still long enough in the waist and sleeves, without having to spend a decent amount of money on tailoring. These very Thom Browne-esque suits look like they would fit me perfectly. I love the high cuff on the pant and the super slim fit on the jacket. This collection also features on of my favorite leather jackets too! Martyn Bal has quite the collection here, and I for one and dying to get my hands on it. 

Thanks to The Fashionisto for the images

President Elect Obama is geting ready to take office, and the hype about who’s designs he is going to wear on inaguarion day are already swirling. WWD is hosting a crap ton of pictures from all the biggest designers of their designs for the soon to be President’s suits on the historic day. Designers like Marc Jacobs, Sean John, D Squared, Ferragamo, Thom Browne and Rag and Bone have all submitted designs. For all the images head over to WWD and check them out.

PS: Does this completely annoy anyone else besides me? He’s our President to be who cares what he’s wearing? All that matters is that he does something to turn our country around. I in no way hope this happens, but what happens if he flops as a President? Talk about a lot of people being embarassed.

Enjoy the pictures

Despite my normally extremist opinions, I am choosing to stay neutral in this decision. I’m not going to say he was necessarily the best designer of the year, but he definitely wasn’t the worst (Christian Audgier wins this one every year in my book). Regardless, I do love Thom Browne, and I think that he does create amazing designs, but at the same time I don’t think I could come out and make the same claim that he was the best designer this year without getting angry comments and challenges against my intelligence. Congrats to you Thom, but I think you might have stolen this one!

Thanks GQ for the image.

John Varvatos, Thom Browne, and Michael Bastian talk about preppy style and what it means to be an American Fashionisto.

Oscar de la Renta Presenting the award to Proenza Schouler

The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has announced this year’s 10 contenders for the $200,000 award, which bestows $50,000 for each of two runners-up. Finalists include Albert Q. Swanepoel of Albertus Quartus, Alejandro Ingelmo, indie fave Alexander Wang, Irene Neuwirth, Jason Wu, Juan Carlos Obando, Swaim and Christina Hutson of Obedient Sons and Daughters, John Patrick of Organic, Richard Chai, and Lisa Mayock & Sophie  Buhai of Vena Cava, who were finalists last year as well.

Since its inception in 2003, the program has awarded over $1,000,000 to help build brands like Doo.Ri, Derek Lam, Proenza Schouler (above), Rodarte, Thakoon, Thom Browne and Trovata. The awards will be presented on November 17 at a private dinner in New York.

Really excited about this, crossing our fingers that we may get invited to the dinner…

The new Thom Browne line is nothing short of confusing with the bold prints and awkward designs. I don’t really get the pointy, cone head hat or the painted finger nails, but I will say that there are plenty of amazing pieces within the collection. The gloves and shoes are amazing and really seem to complete the looks. As far as the complete aryle suit goes, I like the pieces seperate but not as one complete set. I love argyle print (especially on my socks) but you have to realize not to use too much of a good thing. I would definately consider this line a success, but if you are going to buy the pieces be careful what you do with them. It’s easy to mess up.

Thanks to Honeyee.com for the pics!

Thom Browne’s Brookl Brothers collaboration is rumored to be ending. The New York Post reports, “The retailer signed Browne soon after his skinny suits earned him a CFDA award for menswear in 2006. But Browne’s shorter pants might not be selling too well. After all, can you really see all the men in the Hamptons running to the Golden Pair flashing so much sock?”

The Post also reports his skinny suits haven’t been flying off the racks at Bergdorf Goodman, which still has his 2006 tuxes on the sales floor.

Maybe we aren’t ready for the ‘short’ pants look, and maybe we just don’t get it! But you never know when Williamsburg hipsters are going to rock the look for the world to follow.

Thom Browne

Tom Ford

The field of men’s wear designers nominated for the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Fashion Awards this year is a testament to the fresh blood coursing through the industry’s reinvigorated veins. Of all six nominees, Thom Browne’s label has been around the longest—a mere eight seasons. Tom Ford’s giant profile dwarfs the competition’s, but his business is the newest, having launched just last year. They’re both up for Menswear Designer of the Year against Michael Bastian, who graduated into that senior award category from the emerging-designer group, perhaps by dint of his creative directorship at Bill Blass. Among the nominees for the Swarovski Award for Menswear, Tim Hamilton is the sole returnee. He faces the former fashion editor Patrik Ervell and Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg, a former Hollywood agent and the only West Coaster in the bunch. Here we present a cross section of all these fresh perspectives.

Continue reading here.

Tom Vs. Thom

One sells masculinity. One sells boyhood.

The New York Times took a minute to dissect the Thom Browne shopper, the nonexistant boy/man who struts around in undersized clothes fit for a ten year old.  The article compares Thom to Tom (Ford), a designer known for portraying men as the sexually charged deviants they truly are.  One wants boys, one wants men.

In the balance the future of menswear?

We have the full article below, but the real question we must ask is whether or not this is the right perception of mens fashion? Thom’s idea was to revitalize menswear and rethink what’s the norm. Personally the look of Thom’s collection is unappealing and as of yet, I have not seen a single gentleman comfortable enough to walk down the street in something as silly looking as a Browne suit, but maybe we’re just at the heralding of a new generation of men.  We’ve seen the men in fashion spreads get younger as the new manhood deevolves into boyness. While the “metro” man seems to disappear, in his place is a younger, prepubescent image fit for a pedophile.  Are boys the new men?

Weigh in indies. Is Thom Browne bankable for the mainstream or is his collection just not wearable enough and has mens fashion finally caught up to womens fashion, promoting a younger image of a man that is down right childish?

Sizing Up the Cut of a Man

By GUY TREBAY

EVEN if you spend a lot of time around fashion and the endearing nut jobs who create it, this question comes up every so often: Who is that person?

By that person, one is referring to an imaginary consumer, a man who designers have decided should wear skintight flood pants and a Pee-wee Herman jacket barely grazing his behind.

Who exactly is the boy/man fashion is crazy about lately, the guy wearing tennis shorts or onesies or the sort of jacket an Etonian whom I know claims was called a bum-freezer when he was at school?

Who, in other words, is the Thom Browne man?

For the benefit of those who have just awakened from a lengthy disco nap, Thom Browne is a onetime actor, a former design director for Club Monaco and an award-winning designer who — distressed by the disheveled mess that was men’s wear in the aftermath of business casual — took a pronounced taste for a geek version of the 1960s “Mad Men” style, and also a pair of scissors, to the traditional suit.

Having decided that the American male uniform of jeans and a T-shirt had lapsed into a form of dreary establishment dressing, Mr. Browne set about reviving the suit, a costume that once defined the establishment.

Slashing away with abandon, he arrived at a silhouette that was lean and shrunken, with trousers lopped off well north of the ankle, jacket skirts like peplums and sleeves snug enough to cut off the flow of blood.

In Thom Browne’s universe, trousers and suit coats and lapels and ties, and even tie clips, are skinny. In Thom Browne’s world, one can actually wear a tie clip without appearing to idolize Don Knotts. Thom Browne thinks that tie clips are cool, and so apparently did the jury of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which two years ago named him men’s wear designer of the year.

It is not just the council folks who signed on to the Thom Browne cult, however. He tends to inspire excitement among department store buyers and editors, particularly Anna Wintour, who is credited with having brokered a job for Mr. Browne at Brooks Brothers when the venerable clothier went looking for someone to infuse its dowdy image with verve.

“What Thom Browne has done is make our eye adjust to a shorter, smaller silhouette,” said Tommy Fazio, the men’s fashion director at Bergdorf Goodman, where members of the Thom Browne sect go for their seasonal hit, at least those unafraid to pay $4,000 for a suit. “Other designers followed,” Mr. Fazio said, an observation correct as far as it goes. (Viktor & Rolf; Christopher Bailey; Ennio Capasa at Costume National; and Miuccia Prada leap to mind as designers who have showed kiddie-size men’s clothes for years.)

It is certainly true that many American designers fell under the influence of Mr. Browne and his singular ideas about masculine presentation. Or most of them did, anyway. The signal exception is another talented Tom named Ford.

If Thom Browne has come to represent sartorial arrested development, the proponent of a kind of masculinity that suggests one is never sexier than when being carded, Tom Ford is a throwback to a different manliness. In one of those funny confluences that retailers like Bergdorf Goodman are seemingly built to showcase, the two designers and their variant ideas of how men should dress now find themselves cheek by jowl.

There, on the second and third floors of the Bergdorf men’s branch on Fifth Avenue, stand racks of Mr. Browne’s suits, all chalk stripes, peg legs and taut armholes. And there, as of May 29, in an adjacent second-floor boutique, is a new Tom Ford department, infused with the designer’s trademark form of wood-paneled testosterone swank.

One could think of the pairing as a stare-down between Tom and Thom, or an attempt to capture in clothes the essence of American manhood. Or just think of it as an accident of real estate. In any case, the pairing offers a chance to see how masculinity looks from the very different vantage points of two of the more talented designers at work.

Mr. Browne, the man Brooks Brothers hired to develop a “style for a new generation,” offers clothes that look a lot like those worn by my father four decades ago, when men aimed to look 50 at 20, rather than 20 going on 15. Mr. Ford, who in his Gucci heyday got more mileage out of crotch-hugging trousers and male décolletage than anyone since Tom Jones, offers his Anglicized gloss on Hollywood style.

Unlike more workaday designers, both men seem to start from the hoary but still sound premise, so beloved of the folks in theory-land, that masculinity is a pose, a form of drag. That their clothes in some ways reflect an adolescent’s idea of what it means to look grown up also makes sense. It is probably no accident that as technology makes age seem more mutable, people have happily lapsed into a kind of prolonged adolescence. Biologists terms this Peter Pan state neoteny. Fashion calls it the new look for fall. And why not? With scientists conspiring to make it seem as if growing up and old is anything but inevitable, it makes sense that designers would take up the challenge to cloak our cultural fantasies in new ways.

Once upon a time, people were encouraged to dress in a manner that was age-appropriate. That notion now seems incredibly quaint. How can you dress appropriately for your age when it’s difficult to recall what it is anymore? And why confine your wardrobe to one stage of manhood when it’s equally cool and plausible to dress as though Cary Grant was your grandpa or Pee-wee Herman your dad?

“I’m taking a more youthful kind of sensibility and stretching it to a not-so-youthful sensibility,” Mr. Browne said the other day. “I wanted to take the traditional suit and give it to men in a new way, so that they weren’t wearing their father’ suits, and hopefully making that cool for them.”

For his part, Mr. Ford, whose ready-made suits start at $2,900, said in an interview last week at his Madison Avenue flagship that a person “can push to create newness and move a boundary and yet end up forgetting that people want something to wear.”

Back in the ’80s, when the undervalued genius Paul Reubens began mining cultural anxiety about manhood, he played it mostly for laughs. But there was undoubtedly something prophetic about the adenoidal boy/man Pee-wee Herman as he giggled his way toward a future in which generational distinctions grow fuzzy and we find ourselves parading giddily toward the playhouse dressed up as our child selves in bow ties and knee socks, or else as our fathers doing impersonations of themselves.

“I don’t get hung up by the idea of masculinity,” Mr. Browne said. “An idea that is confident always looks masculine.”

To be masculine, according to Mr. Ford’s design vision, is to fuse the debonair cut of a Savile Row suit with the swagger of a star from 1970s pornography. “I’m gay, I’m masculine and I’m not at all ashamed or embarrassed at this point to say I feel confident in traditional masculine clothes,” he said. By the time a man has reached his 40s, as Mr. Ford and Mr. Browne both have, it is probably useful to accept that one is less close to the playhouse than to the grave. “You grow up,” Mr. Ford said. Or else you do not.

 designed this…

Riccardo Tisci was brought onto Givenchy in 2005 and given the position as Chief Designer of womens ready-to-wear and haute couture. Following the footsteps of great designers before him, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen, Tisci was appointed to make the brand once favored by the Kennedy’s and Audrey Hepburn translatable to today’s customer.

Of course, in all this hubbub it seems the brand forgot to give Riccardo a wardrobe. With 10 day old scruff and a tee shirt better befitting a high school student, the 33 year old designer looks like an amateur in the game of fashion, forgetting one of the dead set rules of those dedicated to their craft, always represent your collection.

Many designers out there forget this simple, yet appropriate direction. They create amazing $1000 dresses but sport $15 tees and baggy, sloppy jeans.  I can image the rest of Riccardo’s outfit in the picture above; faded, ripped jeans, Converse, a skateboard and a dubbie in his back pocket. While refusing to fit a mold is an admirable pursuit, being so opposite to your brands image may in fact alienate you from your target customer. If you were introduced to Riccardo in his laid back get up your first impression would be “amateur”.  The gut reaction he would receive is that of someone who doesn’t take is work seriously and thus is not displaying his full potential on the runway.

For young designers, it is especially important to translate your collection onto your everyday wear.  Thom Browne is the perfect example of someone dedicated to his craft. While he may be the only man on the planet who wears Thom Browne suits, you know the reason isn’t cause he’s not actively promoting his wears. Thom rocks his high water crafted suits on the street, to events, and has even been seen rocking jackets with “I’m Thom Browne” embroidered on his back. Dedication.

So next time you’re heading out be sure to rock a piece from your collection or at least dress in something that reflects your brand. If you a tee shirt designer, rock tee shirts. But if you’re a high-end couture designer in charge of one of the largest fashion brands in the world, try not to pull a Riccardo and look like a complete burnout.

(photos courtesy of WWD, Style.com)

How is this possible?

See hipsters work on a fine hypocrisy. The truth is, hipsters are the yuppies of our generation. It takes money to be a hipster! Only the finest deconstructed skinny jeans for todays hipster.

Meet corporate-hipster-man. Reading today’s Wall Street Journal. Rocking a Thom Browne bootleg via the local thrift-store.

Here’s a full shot of the man. Notice the shruken-two sizes too small pants. Rebecca and I couldn’t tell if he was being ironic or just being a hipster?

(And yes that is me in the forefront, not my best photo, I look much better after a hair and makeup team has had their way with me!)