The Runway Re-See: Thom Browne Offers an Inside-Look at His Fall 2024 Couture Collection

[upbeat music]

Hello there.

My name is Jose Criales-Unzueta

and I'm a fashion writer at Vogue Runway.

I'm here this week in Paris to go

to the haute couture collections,

and today I'm gonna take you with me

to an exclusive Vogue preview

of Thom Browne's second couture collection in Paris.

[gentle music]

We've asked Thom why is it

that he likes to create haute couture

and why it has become important for an American designer

to show a couture collection in Paris.

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We're here at Thom Browne.

This is his Paris office,

so let's see what he has in store for us this season.

Hello. [classical music]

Hi Thom. Good to see you.

Good to see you.

Thanks for having us.

Thanks for coming.

[Jose] Everything's coming together.

[classical music]

[classical music continues]

Hello.

[Thom] I wanted this show to be like a good play

on the beauty of just making really well-made clothes.

[Jose] I remember the first time we spoke,

like ahead of your first show,

you told me how excited you were about bringing this idea

of American craftsmanship and couture into Paris,

but also merging those worlds.

What made you come back to couture this year?

[Thom] The initial concept was really to work

with the craftsmanship of tailoring

and work with the actual muslins as the final garments.

[Jose] Yes. And I thought,

compared to the last couture show last July

where everything was beautifully finished and embroidered,

I wanted to do the polar opposite

and really use the muslins and the craft of making clothes

as the couture element.

And this is where it all starts.

[Jose] Right. Everything that

you see in any one of our shows starts with a muslin,

and then it goes into what the fabrication will be,

or what the embroidery will be.

But there's so much that goes into each piece,

and you'll see the idea of muslin being carried

throughout the collection.

And then there is the overall theme of we're in Paris,

and the Olympics coming.

Here are the gold, silver, and bronze medals.

At the end of the show, it's beating, it's bullion,

so it's an entirely medal jacket.

Couture is like fashion's ultimate sport.

[Jose] It is. It is. Yes.

[classical music]

So I guess we can focus on this one

since we're gonna look at this book.

Yeah.

It's one of the more finished pieces

and it really just,

it encapsulates the real essence of the entire show.

The strength in the tailoring you'll see

in the shoulder and the sleeve,

but then also, too, the idea of it being partially finished,

[Thom] Right. It's basically

the work-in-progress version

of what the finished piece would be.

I think it's really one of the most-

[Jose] It's really remarkable.

[Thom] Timeless, beautiful pieces,

with the jacket and the skirt.

The artwork is a conceptualized, Grecian, Olympian figure

mixed with filigree and laurel leaves.

It took close to 11,000 hours.

[Jose] Okay. And 42 craftsmen

sitting around a table.

And the dimension of the embroidery

is something I think is really special too.

[gentle music]

And of course, Dory looks so good in it.

Yeah, I mean, this is...

It's just so good looking.

It's just remarkable.

[Thom] And kind of like what I was saying,

the shape is so simple,

but I always just reference the tailoring of the shoulder

and the sleeve is so sharp.

And then Hector with his gold medal.

[Jose] With his little gold medal. So cute.

[Thom] You know, you could finish the whole thing.

[Jose] Yeah, they could.

But it's kind of perfect unfinished, you know?

[gentle music]

Yeah, then next to you too is almost like the idea

of half of it being finished

and the other half just in the muslin version of

what the embroidery would be.

So this really encapsulates the idea of the show too.

But even seeing the basting stitches here

is all hand done.

This is really wild. Yeah.

I mean, even down to the nipples

or like that, just that attention to detail.

[Thom] You touched it. You just touched it.

I know, I'm sorry.

[chuckling]

[gentle music]

[Thom] I always say the quality of what I do,

I think, is the most fashionable thing.

I like to showcase, especially being an American designer,

that this quality is done in New York

and it's beautiful to be here in something

that is so cultural here in Paris,

and to represent American fashion that way.

[gentle music]

I love the experience to be all immersive.

And I like everybody to feel like they're part

of the experience.

So everyone coming to shows will get this.

Will get this? This is the invitation.

Oh my God, I love this. Oh, this is sick.

[Man] It actually looks really good.

It does.

I can't wait to see the whole room

with everybody in there.

This is gonna, yeah, the whole room is gonna be crazy.

Especially with your shows,

people are always looking for the way in, in a way,

to just sort of participate in the world you've built.

So I think handing them the opportunity is really exciting.

[upbeat music]

Thank you so much for your time.

[Thom] Thank you.

[upbeat music]

[upbeat music continues]

[audience applause]

[Jose] I've just the Thom Browne show.

As you can tell, I am wearing my show invite.

I had a great time.

As always with Thom, it was quite a spectacle.

It was lovely to see some New York-made,

American haute couture in Paris.

I am Jose Criales-Unzueta.

I am signing off for Vogue and I'll see you next time.

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