Thom Browne has models in coffins for Fashion Week

NEW YORK — Candles flickered, haunting music played and only when eyes adjusted to the dim chandelier light was it clear that fashion designer Thom Browne's models were lying in coffins.

Browne debuted his fall collection Monday during New York Fashion Week in an upstairs hall at the New York Public Library. Browne's models, looking androgynous, wore suits in different shades of gray, their heads and hands covered with a thin white gauzy fabric.

Outside, in the hall, models lined up wearing menswear-inspired looks reminiscent of Tim Burton's dark version of "Alice in Wonderland," with sheer black veils hanging over their faces only revealing shiny metallic silver lipstick. They slowly processed into the room with its funereal feel, walking a circle around the other models now standing next to their coffins.

The models wore outwear, long gray and black coats with Browne's signature red, white and blue striped detailing, over white dress shirts that had exaggerated cuffs and collars. There was a plaid suit with a collarless jacket and pants with a dropped crotch, cinched at the ankle.

One model wore a black and white large plaid long skirt. Another wore a white suit with a wide skirt paired with a sparkly silver belt. The final look was a long white gown embellished with dozens of tiny mirrors.

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