Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Designer of the Year - Honey I shrunk the suit


Unsurprisingly GQ have name Thom Browne 'Designer of the Year' in their December issue and there cannot be too many complaints out there...are there? I'm hard pushed to come up with a single other menswear designer who has created such a stir after his shows, not to mention the fact that his indicative style has been replicated throughout the world. Never before have I seen men sporting cuffed trousers complimented by no socks on the scale I have seen on the streets of London this year and this is down to the influence of one man.

Men's style is such an interesting and constantly evolving entity. Who would've thought just a few years ago that someone who advocated high trousers and the shrunken suit would become the toast of the sartorial town? Browne started selling the suits we have grown to love in 2001 and his collections have always been focused around the suit, building on its links to menswear from the past and how the oddity of its proportions threw its reference points into postmodern relief. Since 2001 Browne has of course received many plaudits but he has also received a great deal of negative reviews - there is a constant criticism that the designer is making clothes that look weird on anyone who isn't Thom Browne...I have however seen many Thom Browne's walking the streets this year. His designs have slowly eroded many of our beliefs on what a good suit should be, he has made us question many things about something so simple (or so we thought) as the practical, 'safe' option, the suit. He has done this to such an extent that the same people who initially laughed at the proportions of his creations are now desperate for his next line, whilst feeling self conscious if their ankles are covered. In my opinion he deserves the designer of the year accolade for this alone. Are you happy with GQ's choice?

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