«It’s all about balls» at Thom Browne Menswear Spring/Summer 2020 Paris at Beaux-Arts de Paris.
Professional ballet dancer James Whiteside opens the fashion show he quoted “for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to let my nimble biscuits shine on a Parisien runway. I’m in awe and my gratitude is overwhelming.”
“I love how artists support each other and lift each other up. We’re all just kids in a sandbox trying to make the most beautiful sandcastle.”
Technical tailoring and men’s dresses under the verrière des Beaux Arts de Paris.
The collegiate worlds of various sports collided with the exquisite world of ballet at the Thom Browne.
Set in the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts: the home of fine arts teaching in Paris; it was a beautiful backdrop for Thom Browne’s clever blend of sportswear-flexed line-out. This included the shoulder pads of American footballers (in jackets and coats), their masks, too, broken down and abstracted; even the lace-up football became a bum bag. The ovoid shape became padding on elbows and elsewhere on one beautifully crafted coat, too.
At the beginning of the show: fun! When a tutu-wearing ballet dancer @jamesbwhiteside unzipped models (who were stood on plinths) and wearing fancy zip-bags (the kind you keep in your wardrobe) to reveal exquisite cotton Seersucker shorts suits in pastels and a delicious lemon.
It was bizarre and beautiful. In the centre of the runway a ‘Manekken Pis’ – the 61 cm bronze sculpture and tourist must-see in the centre of Brussels.
Brown rendered his version in a material tape.
Tennis balls in tape surrounded the statue. It was a cheeky allegory for the “sportswear codes meets high art and culture” inspiration behind this master-tailor’s mood next spring. Such brilliant fun.