Thom Browne brought what some consider the most magical place on earth, Disney, into his spring 2018 ready-to-wear collection, which was full of references to the classic sea tale “The Little Mermaid.”
Staging his show in the glitzy city of Paris this season at Hotel de Ville, the New York-based designer’s usual thematic and dramatic fashion event stayed the course of his past jaunts.
If the collection’s overwhelmingly blue color palette didn’t drive home the point of underwater inspiration, surely the nautical details of anchors and seashells did. The designer even went so far as to create a mermaid-meets-luxury look featuring a textured translucent blazer and a finlike sequin skirt fit for Ariel herself.
Naturally, the sea princess wouldn’t need the architectural heels (not at first, anyway), but the stately black oxfords with its wood platform brought the look right back to earth.
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Aside from waterfalls of cascading blue ruffles throughout and many nautical stripes, Browne’s stamp of prep also shone through.
Cardigans over button-down shirts with ties, plenty of striped blazers — albeit covered in 3-D florals or featuring party-time trains — and even sporty racer stripe socks read contemporary collegiate. Still, the no-nonsense black leather lace-up or buckled oxfords and the occasional calf bootie managed to match it all.
See more images from the runway show in the gallery.
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