he Spring Summer 2020 collection Thom Browne showcased during Paris Fashion Week is unquestionably inspired by French Fashion from the eighteenth century: in fact, the element that distinguishes it is the "pannier" model, the eighteenth-century French clothes with the typical round structure.
However, for what concerns the portability of his creations, the designer wants the public to understand that his clothing is nevertheless designed to be worn: by removing panniers, garments transform and become easily wearable. Other characteristic elements of this collection, in addition to the "pannier" model, are the use of the corset and the wide and varied use that the designer makes of tweed, sometimes mixed with seersucker (a fine cotton fabric, usually striped, used to make summer clothes and originally developed in India).
"The collection is based on my interpretation of 18th-century dress, focusing on pannier clothes and polonaise dresses and playing with them to mix them with American preppy sportswear. The idea was to take something classic and turn it into a possibly newer or at least not immediately understandable thing," says Browne in an interview with Vogue Italia.
This is the fourth season that the American designer presents in Paris for women's fashion: therefore, this collection inspired by the history of French fashion can be interpreted as a tribute to France itself.
slide to watch the looks:
Words by Elena Affricani