Thom Browne tells his version of Cinderella in Spring 2023
“You know, Tom likes to tell stories…it’s going to be a long story-and you know he’ll have a good laugh at his long story…”
Gwendoline Christie, in a duchess silk satin embroidered gown, told the audience gathered at the Grand Palais for Thom Browne’s Spring 2023 show on Monday. It was setting the stage for a rendition of the classic story, Cinderella, by a renowned stage designer. (A seven-foot sparkling “glass” heel at the end of the runway should have been a giveaway.)
The collection begins with a series of silk taffeta opera coats in various colours. Then we meet “Cindy”. Emmy-nominated actor Michaela Jae Rodriguez is dressed in white.
Midway through the show, her stepmother and stepsisters (half-draped silk taffeta polka-dot dress and punky hair), their cats (satin miniskirts and yarnball-embroidered duchess jackets), and mice. I also saw (off-the-shoulder, bow-deck mini dress), Fairy Godmother and her entourage (hand-knitted jacket and pleated poodle skirt).
Like all of the brand’s creations, Thom Browne’s version of this fairy tale is rooted in sharp tailoring and precision, juxtaposed with imaginative detail and playfulness, elevating clothing to storytelling.2023 Spring looks are layered, literally and figuratively. The more you look, the more you discover, like underwear peeking out from the back of the pants, and some models wearing smocked tulle his bodysuits underneath.
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But back to you! Cindy dances down the runway to Charming before stepping into her giant shoes in her operatic girlfriend coat with gold embroidered navy satin tails. There, she will transform “into her most authentic version of herself,” Bland explained in the show’s notes.
Photo: Imax Tree
In a pink tulle Cadillac carriage, she sets off. The rest of the characters dance along and Christie’s reminds us of her charm. “In Thom Browne’s world, every girl and every boy fits in a shoe.”
Discover the Thom Browne Spring 2023 collection in the gallery below.