The old, the current and the new.

Thom Browne stages a theatrical perfomance that meditates on the ravages of time. The story is set in the 20’s; told through 13 outfits belonging to 13 members of a gentlemen’s club, who meet again after the Depression to reflect on their past. Each outfit was shown in three variations, which embody a certain moment in time, starting with a ragged version, then a light level of distress, to a finally a pristine one. It wasn’t a progress of disintegration, but of regeneration, like a return to former glories, stepping into an elegant past of fine manners and etiquettes. Besides the breathtaking conceptual aspect of the performance, the construction and deconstruction of garments was simply outstanding. Classic masculine attire such as tailcoats, military overcoats, fur-trimmed chesterfields  were skillfully shredded and battle-scarred, showing how imperfection is more labor-intensive—more perfect—than flawlessness. Bowler hats were tipped eerily over the face to deny the men’s identity, reminiscent to René Maigritte‘s art. Like in a physical representation of The Picture of Dorian Gray the perfect original faced its torn doplleganger, offering to viewers a rather surreal spectacle.