Thom Browne A/W13: Alice in Wonderland, set in the 80s

I've had my eye on Thom Browne's quirky designs for a while now, but this collection made me stop in my tracks. It's as if he made up a recipe with equal ratios of Lewis Carroll, Gwen Stefani, Russian dolls, 1980s power dressing and an angry Miss Havisham, then added an extra sprinkling of rose petals for good measure. My favourite parts of the concoction, including one of the best girl-with-attitude pouts yet:

 [All images via Style.com, except where credited]

Excess All Areas

Browne's love of full volume design is always at the forefront of what he does - there's rarely any subtlety involved. That means an entire outfit in red, a pintuck-upon-pintuck dress with a corseted waist or a rose-strewn tulle gown with co-ordinating headpiece.

The typical Browne girl, if there is such a thing and she can be pinned down to a mere stereotype, is someone who refuses to be a wallflower. She probably loves cupcakes and Tim Burton films and wanted to be a horse when she grew up.

 Roses Are Red

It's all about the 1980s bouffant, even down to the frizz. Backcombed to seemingly impossible heights, it then has corsages pinned carefully into place, teamed with groomed brows, a pinch of blusher and a geisha-style lip in vibrant red. The overall effect is that of a Russian doll who's been listening to power ballads and works in an office. Makes perfect sense to me...

 The Lady is a Vamp

These shoulders are markedly different from the Henry VIII shoulders rocked at Burberry last season; they're more elegant and often angular rather than solidly inflated in appearance. If you've seen Browne's work before, you'll know he loves to exaggerate the silhouette like this, with American footballer shapes for men. 

These images also remind me of the micro-trend on street photography websites, for fashion editors and celebs to wear their jackets balanced on their shoulders, rather than putting their arms through the sleeves - the shapes here look very similar. Perhaps this is a case of the street influencing the catwalk?

 The Gathering 

Hitch up, look sharp, as Dizzy Rascal didn't quite ever say. Gathered layers of fabric were heavily embellished or accessorised with everything from fur trims (though I hope they're not real) to Edwardian ruffles. The nipped in waist is a great antidote to the effect of wide skirts and fussy sleeves.

 A Pout To Rival McKyla Maroney's Meme

This is a look that says, "I don't care if you hate what I'm wearing, because I bloody love it." Topped off by power brows, obvs. 

Sorry, McKayla.

[Image via Memecrunch.com]

Squaring Up

Again, these are not Henry VIII or American footballer shoulders, but they're something else. In this case, more of a masculine shape, but made to seem all the more square and grid-like thanks to the choice of geometric tweed fabrics. There's also a sort of Alan Titchmarsh twist (yes, really - I haven't gone totally mad, but it is a tenuous link) in that the square patterns work really well with the climbing roses. Sort of like a trellis - see? Just me? Oh well. Maybe I've spent too long analysing this one. 

Still, Thom Browne's Autumn/Winter outlook is rosy as far as I'm concerned. Just get me some 80s tunes, a can of hairspray and some roses and I'll be desperately recreating the look in no time, though maybe not without the set designer's additions of men tied to hospital beds.