Thom Browne: Hey, those tall guys are wearing our suits
OK, this one’s for the hedge funders. I’m going to tell you about the one (and only) suit that fit me perfectly right off the rack. This thing felt like it was made for me. From scratch. Completely bespoke. Like someone sprayed little flecks of worsted wool onto my naked body and let it dry. Okay, it wasn’t that tight or anything, but it did fit perfectly. It was an unexpectedly religious experience. One that made me keenly aware that snaring the perfect fit is far too rare an experience for guys under 5-foot-7.
The suit was made by Thom Browne, an NYC-based designer who’s generated a lot of buzz over the past few years with his “shrunken suit” look. But he’s also roused almost as much anger. Alan Flusser speaking on The Sartorialist a year ago berated Browne’s line:
Those are the most irresponsible clothes I’ve ever seen in my 30 years in fashion. To charge that much money for a coat that is deliberately short . . . the whole thing is like, childlike.
Ouch. Well, I dig the 1950s/’60s square look — and even think the too-short-sleeves-and-pants-and-no-socks look he’s got going on works for him. But even if you don’t immediately love this particular look, small (rich) men should welcome this trend. Because what’s really interesting is that while his suits look very idiosyncratic (many would say bad) on Thom, his super-tall models, or even men of average height, those same suits look absolutely proportional on small men.
Is it just me or is there a shout-out to scrawny men everywhere hidden in the subtext of this spooky video on the TB site which portrays a funeral for an extremely tall male model?
The Fit: Not “normal” in the sense of your contemporary Men’s Wearhouse-type, Middle American boxy business fit — they’re just too cool not to stand out and raise a few eyebrows. You should be thoroughly familiar with all the “rules” of proper fit and timeless fashion before deciding to shell out for something as of-the-moment as one of these suits. That said, they are beautifully proportional for folks like us. It’s almost as if Browne completely reimagined the suit for the small man and then built it from the ground up. Although he never intended this, it’s the secret truth to his cut: There ain’t no Pee-Wee effect on someone of our height and build.
Which is exactly what Flusser comes round to saying in this New York Times profile of TB in October, 2006:
“Maybe if you’re 5-foot-6 and 140 pounds, you can pull it off,” said the men’s wear designer Alan Flusser.
Fluss’ fustiness aside, the article goes on to suggest that Browne’s distinctive silhouette is becoming something of a widespread trend. Let’s hope so — for all of us out there scanning the racks that are “5-foot-6 and 140 pounds.”
The only downside to the Thom Browne suit? They run about $3,000 to $4,000. Yep. Not a typo. I didn’t see the pricetag until after I tried on the jacket and I almost teared up. Staggering, I know (unless you bought a 2007 Honda hybrid last year). For that amount of money, you could just have one (or two or three) more traditional suits custom made (a great investment which I’ll talk about in future posts). But if you have the dough and you know what you’re getting into, fashionwise, it’s gotta feel exhilarating to be able to pick up a cutting-edge designer suit off the rack and have it fit.
The suits and jackets are available at Thom Browne’s new, appointment-recommended boutique in Tribeca and at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, etc. For info on how you can score a cut-rate TB, check back here in a few days for Part Two of this post.
Link: Thom Browne
November 4th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
I always have problems finding a good jacket. The sleeves are too long for me. I wear 40short, but the sleeves are two or three inches longer than the actual size of my arms. I have to pay extra for alterations and usually the jackets get more expensive.