American fashion has come a long way since 1973, when the legendary Battle of Versailles benefit fashion show forced the French to acknowledge for the first time that the U.S. even had serious design talent. The Battle of Versailles shifted the industry’s focus from ready-to-wear to couture in the interest of raising funds to restore the historic palace. Just this week, CFDA chairman Thom Browne put American fashion—and made-to-measure—back on the map in Paris, this time with his Couture Week debut.
The designer took over the Opéra Garnier in a dramatic fashion, filling its seats with 2,000 cardboard cutouts dressed in his signature gray suit while sentient attendees sat right onstage. There, they witnessed an evolution of Browne’s signature as his models embarked on a journey through an imaginary train station, representing travelers, bells, pigeons, gargoyles, and, for the finale, a triumphant bride. Along the way, the gray flannel suit evolved from a kilt and blazer ensemble to something more experimental: trompe l’oeil skirt suits affixed to voluminous bell-shaped wool coats, extravagantly beaded miniskirts and evening coats, and oversized double-breasted blazers with nautical embroidery and brocade.
