Making his return to the NYFW schedule on the most romantic day of the year, New York-based designer Thom Browne presented his Fall/Winter 2024 collection in homage to iconic literary figure Edgar Allen Poe, creating looks that were equally dark, dreary, and signature to the American fashion house. Weaving the beloved tale through intricate tailoring, dubious proportions, and deconstructed silhouettes, the collection was effortlessly Poe in every detail- while remaining true to the Thom Browne cognomen.

Orchestrating the presentation in a wintry terrain, the collection was brought to life by the narration of actress Carrie Coon, who recited Poe’s tragic story that simultaneously aligned with the ensembles, with fabrications of black mohair, silk, canvas, crepe wool, and cashmere bedecked shredded tuxedos, skirts, and powerfully pointed coats and blazers. Gothic-revived velvet intarsia is spotted stitched into white silk moiré, while spirals of hand-embroidered, feather-like ribbons are spotted along with bullion embroidery. Outerwear offerings exist in shredded denim tweed, satin stitched roses, shearling, and leather layered overtop corsets, emulating 19th-century cummerbunds.

Elsewhere, the classic black-tie getup is thoughtfully deconstructed to assemble modular panels that can either be buttoned on or off, making tailoring cinched and frivolous. Patterns accustomed to Browne are speckled in tweed and tartan made of grosgrain ribbons, intarsia, and wool-cashmere. Dresses painted in black and white are submerged in cashmere, along with curvaceous boatneck dresses hemmed by intarsia cricket stripes and tweed skirts. For additive storytelling, gathered blouson capes are embellished with bows of grandeur.

Accessories are in structured and soft Mr. Thom bags, the Baguette, the Tortoiseshell Bermuda bag, and an iconic Handheld Hector. Footwear is in the form of curved heels and platform brogues protected by a removable layer of waterproof vinyl, adding a bit of practicality to the mix. Closing out the show and the chic anecdote, model Alex Consani portrays a golden bug effortlessly sheathed in a gold jacquard cape with debossed roses and black moiré intarsia ravens. Underneath, a hand-knit gold bouillon cardigan is fastened by a corset-topped skirt completed with a puffed white silk skirt.

Thom Browne has undoubtedly mastered the art of storytelling, and plucking inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, the designer successfully staged a Fall/Winter’24 collection that will be remembered, evermore!