by Ian Laughead
Thom Browne
Set in New York City between the wars, Thom Browne’s fall show was a veritable piece of theatre. Models slowly wandered down pathways in a set built up as a city park surrounded by canvas-fronted rowhouses.
Moving from the deconstruction of his men’s collection for fall, Browne turned to reconstruction. Coats were sewn together to look as if they are falling off one another, and shirts and jackets were hybridized into single, asymmetrical pieces. The finale wedding dress combined a tea-length dress with a half dozen pieces of sheer outerwear trailing behind.
Much like his recent men’s show, Browne used a variety of dog motifs, from opening the show with a male model walking a mechanical toy version, to a gossamer duster jacket with the canines woven into the jacquard.
Collaborating with milliner Stephen Jones, windblown ties on each model turned into inventive fascinators.
Zero + Maria Cornejo
Maria Cornejo’s latest collection was as jet-set as they come, but with none of the glossy overtness other designers propose.
Seamlessly assembling a set of international inspirations, Cornejo put outerwear down the runway in the form of belted blankets, leather kimono vests, and pieced-cowhide ponchos.
Well-traveled prints of unclear provenance and layers both cozy and diaphanous filled the collection, and for each furry cape there was an equally exciting–and equally wearable–silky caftan to go with it.
The event, shown back-to-front with the finale at the beginning and the individual looks shown after, could feel like a shock value tactic in less able hands, but with Cornejo’s subtle design sensibilities, it served more to instill the spirit of the collection from the outset.
