The Thom Browne Guide to Black Tie
“I’ve always wanted, selfishly for myself, to do things differently, and not be so scripted in one way,” Browne said.
Having been to a couple of them now, I think I’ve got a good handle on the Thom Browne dinner party formula. You need a good crowd of creative people whom Browne admires (the designer told me he’d binged The Gilded Age a couple weeks prior). You need a historic room that encourages dressing up, a guiding principle of Browne’s life. “Everybody knows me for my mid-century aesthetic in regards to my stores and all, but my personal aesthetic in regards to how I live is very classic Georgian,” he said. “Some type of formality is important to me.” You need cold champagne. And of course, you need everybody in full Thom Browne.
Courtesy of Thom Browne/Menelik Puryear
Courtesy of Thom Browne/Tyler Oyer
Courtesy of Thom Browne/Tyler Oyer
Formalwear has been one of Browne’s particular strengths ever since Ed Norton hit the Oscars in an early design in 2003. Ever since, Browne has twisted black tie codes with endless creativity—just see the 21 custom looks he dreamt up for guests at this year’s Met Gala. But when he’s not making tuxedos with over-the-top couture techniques, Browne has a few formalwear rules to live by. For one: “Well, it has to be black,” he said. “I’m not always into black tie being so fashion. I like it to be classic, and especially for men, I like it to be really, really beautifully classic and timeless.”
From there, Browne isn’t so uptight. “In the shape and the proportion, I stick to classic Thom Browne, but the fabric can be anything,” he added. “It can be black denim, it can be black cotton canvas, it can be mohair, wool, or cashmere.” Case in point, Sydney Lemmon’s tuxedo dress was tailored inside-out, lining exposed; my own tux that evening was made out of sturdy workwear canvas, like the world’s most elevated Carhartt set.
Courtesy of Thom Browne/Tyler Oyer
Speaking of denim, a fabric not commonly found in his gray flannel world, Browne revealed that he has finally perfected a pair of jeans. Made in Japan, the raw denim buckle-back jeans resemble a pair of slim mid-century dungarees, and when cropped with a cuff go perfectly with the rest of the Thom Browne wardrobe. “I’ve done denim for a long time, but I’ve never done a true Japanese selvedge denim with a real jean factory,” he said. As for why it took so long? “I was just finally ready,” Browne replied.
Are the jeans a sign that the Hudson Valley lifestyle is rubbing off on Browne already? Is he considering relaxing the meticulous personal uniform that built a fashion empire? Browne laughed. “I can’t wait to have an occasional pair of brown shoes,” he said, deadpanning. “There are some different Thom Browne rules upstate that I can’t wait to establish.”
