Stylish Swedish garage punks The Hives have traded in their Vegas lounge act look and are channeling Thom Browne for their latest effort, The Black and White Album. We call it a marked improvement, especially as they’ve eschewed Browne’s signature high-water trouserings. The crested boating blazers and striped school ties worn to good effect on the album cover and in the video for the first single, “Tick Tick Boom” are straight out of Browne’s much-ballyhooed Black Fleece collection for Brooks Brothers. And though he’s hardly the first designer to employ such motifs…

Browne on Ice: There are two sides to Thom Browne—stay on the good one. [Men.Style]

Casting a Wide Net: You, yes you could be a model—don’t change a thing. [New York TImes]

Suit Yourself: Vote for the best content on A Suitable Wardrobe [ASW]

D&G: Dolce & Gabbana zero in on the men’s market with their new Madison Avenue store opening tomorrow. [DNR News]

Photography: Patrick McMullan

Here’s a hint: When Thom Browne’s clothes start to look a little ridiculous on Thom Browne, it’s obviously time to start dressing like adults again. At the unveiling of Repetto shoes’ 60th Anniversary traveling exhibition hosted by Mo‚àö¬¥t & Chandon at the Max Lang gallery the other night, Browne in his trademark shrunken ensemble resembled nothing so much as the Frankenstein monster from one of those old-fashioned horror flicks, whose clothes fit him much the same way.

While the fabric and glen plaid patterns were beyond reproach, even artist/designer Tobias Wong seemed a little put off by the cartoonish cut of Browne’s jib »

Department of Orthopedics: Tom Brady, spotted in a walking cast yesterday, is now walking tall and visiting Earnest Sewn after spending time with paramour extraordinaire Giselle Bunchen. Seems on top of everything else, the woman has miraculous healing powers.[NYPost]

Fashion is MAGIC!!!: If by “magic” you mean walking the Vegas Convention Center listlessly for hours on end, then, yes, it is magic. [Fibre2Fashion]

Model Abuse: Galliano flagrantly disregards the Geneva Convention. [The Moment]

French Tips: More trends at Paris Fashion Week. [AFP]

Public Support: It’s been said Vietnam was lost when Walter Cronkite declared it a stalemate. Similarly, Brit anchor Jeremy Paxman is rallying a nation against sagging drawers. [Life and Health]

Gang Signs: Wu-Tang brand necklaces, rings and earrings for you, your crew and all them hos. [Freshness Magazine]

Louis’ Lucre: In other Hip-hop bling news, take a gander at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton jewelry line. [High Snobiety]

Brownie Points: Refinery29 begins their newest countdown video series with Mr. Thom Browne. [Refinery29]

Come On Down, Sweet Virginia: Abercrombie just can’t keep it’s bare ass out of trouble [Gawker]

Fall In To It: The new Gap line is… wait… hey, that’s not bad at all. [Men.Style]

I Love The 80’s: Headbands and Michael J. Fox reconsidered. [SFGate]

Game Breaker: Gisele brings her perfection-busting bod to Rag & Bone. [NYObserver]

Big Apple Circus: If there are Siamese suits and stiltwalkers, you know Thom Browne’s in the house. [The Moment]

Sex Doll Silenced: Some people just can’t leave bad enough alone. [Top News India]

Civics Lessons: Vote or Die, Kids. Vote or Die. [Jezebel]

In an interesting development, yesterday’s Thom Browne show eschewed the usual “military” and “post-apocalyptic rock star” themes so popular these days in favor of a carnival vibe, complete with a feathery ringmaster to introduce the show.

(This Refinery 29 post offers a good overview of the madness, and it’s from a familiar face.)

In short, Fashion Week just got a little bit more Cirque du Soleil.

Continuing with our top-ten New York Fashion Week countdown, we’ve got to tip you in on who we left out. Adam Kimmel was at Pitto Uomo, like so many of the best New York designers. For Kimmel, though, the tradeshow became a personal graduation party, so this year he looses his city privileges this season. Ralph transcends lists, Obedient Sons (love ‘em as we do) took a turn for the slouchy, and Mr. Thom Browne, well, he’s in a class by himself. On with the list…

6. DKNY:

You were still playing Contra when Donna Karen was a growing concern. Retired and now renewed, Karen is still a considerable name and her DKNY (see above) remains a good source for office-proof, stylish essentials. The black cardigan, slate blazer and raincoat are subtly sly and everything else manages to stay within the lines of trend and classic elegance without attracting too much attention. For those of you who tread lightly and carry big sticks. [Men.Style]

And #5 is…»

When we last checked in with Blue Iris, the tint had just been named Pantone’s Color of the Year. Capturing 2007’s peaceful, contemplative side, Blue Iris was going places, we just had no idea how many places.

Seen here modeling Thom Browne’s latest collection, Blue Iris has kept busy during his tenure as Color of the Year. Here’s a few of the places we’ve spotted the season’s hippest hue:

Where we’ve seen Blue Iris around town»

There’s nothing like a little competition to stir the blood.

The nominations for the CFDA Awards were announced today, with Kempt favorites Thom Browne and Tom Ford picking up menswear nods, along with Michael Bastian. Due respect to Mr. Bastian, but we’re more excited about seeing the two T(h)oms face off. We like to think of it as bare chest vs. bare ankle. Mr. Browne took the prize last year, but we wouldn’t put it past him to bring it home again.

Having said that, our heart is with Mr. Ford.

A lot of designers have been inspired by early 60s chic, but it’s rare to see one merge nostalgia with a fresh take on menswear staples.

We recently took a look at the Fall ’08 line from recent Bloomingdale’s recruit Bureau, and it’s more forward-looking than you’d think at first glance. This isn’t the 1962 of Thom Browne, it’s more like 1962 of Wong Kar Wai, with one-button suits meshing with bizarre sweater piping for an otherworldly feel. The suits are appropriately slim, but distinctive touches like the high peak lapels keep it from getting lost in the crowd.

The fall designs will hit stores in August.

UrbanDaddy

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe, last seen layering it on like a motherfucker, has always been distinctively dressed, but we’ve never seen him looking quite as natty as he did at the Food Bank for New York City’s anniversary awards gala at the Chelsea Piers the other night (where we also spotted a stylin’ Isaac Mizrahi).

More on Mr. Stipe»

The Tom Ford/Thom Browne divide has been deepening for some time, but it seems like DNR wants to turn it into a full-fledged national conflict.

Mr. Ford’s British tendencies have been well-documented (think Get Carter not Pete Doherty), and apparently his fall collection is full of the large checks and cutaway collars that more fashionable Britons have been donning for some time.

More on the coming turmoil»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

We always just kind of took it for granted that king-of-camp John Waters only ever wears vintage threads. That’s what the writer/director’s skinny suits and ties always looked like to us, and it seemed to match his retro persona perfectly. The other night at the opening of the new musical version of his 1990 film however, we caught the unmistakable whiff of designer duds adorning his rail-thin frame.

It was the modernized boating blazer that tipped us off, of course»

Photographed by our fearless lensman, Patrick McMullan.

Sex Pistols svengali Malcolm McLaren is one of Thom Browne’s biggest fans. Perhaps the subversive nature of Brown’s sartorial spin appeals to the old saboteur. McLaren’s been a firm believer in épater la bourgeoisie since the SEX days.

More on the mogul in the wild»

A Message to You Rudy: Ska style rises again. [Men.Style]

Thinking Ahead: The warm months are almost here, which means you should start shopping for Fall (but of course). Ransom will give you a head start. [Hypebeast]

Primary Colors: Obama is the Burberry candidate. [Radar]

Slip of the Tongue: Whoops. Someone let the beans spill about the new Black Fleece store. [The Life Vicarious via Racked]

Criminal Minded: The slicked-back men of America finally have a voice. [The Onion]

Deal Alert: 70% off at the APC Brooklyn store from Wednesday through Thursday. [Trash Bag Aesthetics]

Stuck on Sinatra: Plunk down your 42 cents for the best dressed stamp ever. [Gothamist]

Who Wears Short Shorts?: In the Summer, hemlines actually become relevant for men. [Independent UK]

Frau Claudia Schiffer Topless in German Vogue: Ja vol! [Egotastic]

Part-time Model Rips Off Boss Marc Jacobs: Good thing the cops got him, because Jacobs will fucking cut you. [Gawker]

Huffpo’s Von Pfetten Doesn’t Go For Pretty Boys: Seriously, girl, why haven’t you called us yet? ]HuffPo]

Clip On Ties: Thom Browne’s rules of the tie bar. [WSJ.]

Tips for Tall Guys: Jalen Rose and Allan Houston share their 6’ and over secrets. [AskMen]

Jugs off the Menu: Williamsburg’s Radegast shelves their traditional-Czech-cleavage-revealing outfits due to the wandering hands of drunk patrons. Way to ruin it for the rest of us. [Gothamist]

Super Villians: Roberto Piqueras dresses the gay Legion of Doom. [Skeleton Legs]

Tom Ford and Thom Browne Square off at Bergdorfs: And somehow Pee Wee Herman is the ref. [NYTimes]

Aqua Man: Meanwhile, down the hall at Thursday Styles, Mike Albo hunts down beachwear. [NYTimes]

Deforestation: Harrison Ford makes the ultimate sacrifice for the environment. [NYDaily News]

A Close Shave: The return of the barbershop (without Ice Cube). [Art of Manliness]

Pool Party: Jump into the pool with the U.S. synchronized swim team and get ready to doggy paddle. [Radar]

Bikini Classic: The best of 70s S.I. swimsuits. [HuffPo]

Life’s Little Victories: Now you can finally win something for being short. Huzzah! [ShortShrifted]

Road Warrior: Come the apocalypse, roll that old Civic out the garage. [Wired]

Ruh’ Oh: Thom Browne may be breaking up with Brooks Brothers. Who gets Black Fleece in the divorce? [NYMag]

From Rags to Stiches: Ex-secondhand store Aloha Rag gets a visit from our favorite critical queen. [NYTimes]

Sneak Peek: Oh yes, the Bond trailer is here. [Moviefone]

Her Majesty: Anna Wintour deigns to speak of Milan Men’s Fashion. Cower, mere mortals. [DNR]

Second Chance: Brooks Brothers and Thom Browne kiss and make up. [DNR]

Um, No: Fashionista thinks man clutches are a good, “accessory for a night out.” Some people just don’t get it, do they? [Fashionista]

Gym Rats: How to be a gentleman while working up a sweat. [Art of Manliness]

Head to toe madras got a boost this summer from the likes of Ralph Lauren and Thom Browne’s Black Fleece collection. However, the full-on matching madras suit effect is a bit much, we feel, even in this realm.

Trust that old dog Glenn O’Brien to show us how it should be done. His plaids are complimentary but not identical; what’s more they’re obviously well-worn and look as if the fabric might be authentically Indian to boot.

More on the madras»

They may seem quaint and horribly rural, but the appeal of the circus has never quite disappeared. And, as Thom Browne recently reminded us, their influence is far from disappearing.

Taschen has just come out with a book that should be the perfect primer if you’re looking to brush up on your clowns. It’s called The Circus, 1870-1950, covering 80 years of traveling entertainment, complete with its own posters, stars and sense of style.

Step right up, step right up»

Chris Shipman/NYT

We go way back with the New York Times’ David Colman—through his strangely unmotivated obsessions with vests, shorts, and even pants—but we have to give him credit on this one. If you’ve managed to snag some Red Wing boots, it would be silly to let your pants cover them up.

We aren’t sure about those cowboy boots—although Mr. Benjamin might disagree—but this is a general trend we’ve been seeing for some time. The beauty of the shorter pant leg that’s come into fashion over the past few years—we’re looking at you, Mr. Browne—isn’t that it shows a bit of ankle but that it perfectly frames your shoes. Now that the footwear has gotten bulkier, you need to hike your pants up even higher to get them out of the way.

As for where you should draw the line, we’d say galoshes are for rainstorms. But Mr. Colman might disagree…

We ran into this Thom Browne number again now that it’s in season, and it looks a lot different than it did on the runway. The sharply visible grid gives it a touch of the drafting table, which has always been part of Mr. Browne’s appeal, but it’s still pretty easy on the eyes. The gray suit is an underestimated part of any wardrobe, but we doubt anyone will underestimate this.

Plus, it should look great with a little foliage.

AskMen just put up its list of the 49 most influential men of the year and, naturally, we’re furious we didn’t make the list. Of course, we would have been the only blogger other than Kanye…

Now that we’ve gotten over the initial shock, we have to admit it’s pretty good work. It’s got its share of our favorite movie stars—The Cloon (22) and Robert Downey Jr. (4)— mixed in with who-the-hell-is-that picks, like Jonathan Ive (23), the design mastermind behind the iPhone, and Rob Kay (8), the brains behind Guitar Hero. On the style front, Kempt favorites Thom Browne (43) and Tom Ford (4) also weigh in, although we’re surprised Ford is so high and Browne is so low. Maybe the accountant look isn’t as popular as we thought.

But any list that puts Kanye two spots ahead of Ben Bernanke can’t be all bad.

Brooks Brothers is as close as the New World has to a tailoring institution, so we’ve been watching Thom Browne’s contribution to the Black Fleece line particularly closely. And thanks to Selectism, we just got a peek at the latest additions to the line.

Naturally, it’s catnip for trads, but Mr. Browne manages to throw in more than just thin lapels, including his treasured formal shorts, argyle socks, and a two-tone sweater that’s not that far from what Paul Smith’s up to these days. (Minus the bird head, naturally.)

The jacket on the left may look familiar to Hives fans as the Swedish rockers’ signature Thom Browne-designed outfits, but this is entirely new gear. The label is General Idea, and the look is military, vaguely western, and resolutely contrast-stitched.

Mr. Browne had a good idea dressing the hives in black and white, but he wasn’t adventurous enough to follow up on it, so it’s good to see someone picking up the mantle.

See more of the line here»

Now that Tom Ford can do whatever he wants, he’s decided to direct a movie. He’s roped in Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and the sainted production designers from Mad Men, so he’s off to a good start, but we’re still a little unsure about Ford’s new incarnation as movie mogul.

The movie is adapted from A Single Man, a day-in-the-life novel about a bereaved gay college professor in California in 1962. The novel is a gay touchstone—Elton John named an album after it, to give you some idea—so Ford’s interest isn’t completely out of left field, but it still seems like an odd choice. Ford’s ads and even clothes seem designed to project a guy’s-night-in-Vegas aesthetic. How well will he transition to measured musing about the passage of time? Is this just getting back at Thom Browne for snagging the Mad Men wardrobe? We’ll have to wait and see.

At least those goggles are going to a good cause.

Tweed has never been the hottest look, but it may be having its own trendlet. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to academic-chic.

This “Academia Jacket” from Visim has been making the Japanese retail rounds, and caught the eye of the streetwear tastemakers at High Snobiety and nascent King of all Media Kanye West. It’s a natural step from the accountant fetishism of Thom Browne—who, coincidentally, was just named GQ’s Designer of the Year—but we can’t help but wonder where this leads. Glasses can always get nerdier, but we imagine we’ll see library-themed nightclubs popping up next summer.

Our advice is to start snapping up hardcovers now. After all, you’ll need accessories.

We focus on big-name designers so much that it’s easy to forget how many different pieces go into making a clothing line. For instance, if you’ve ever bought a shirt from Thom Browne, it actually came from the shirtmakers at Gitman Brothers, an American List-approved firm out of Ashland, P.A..

They’ve gotten where they are through impeccable craftsmanship—extra touches like handmade plackets, tight stitching and hand turned, stitchless pockets—but they haven’t flexed their design muscles more than they needed to…until now.

They recently made a splash reintroducing old fabrics under the name Gitman Original Vintage. We haven’t seen the shirts yet—they’re debuting at the AW09 capsule shows—but judging by their reputation, we’re in for quite a collection.

The Spread: We aren’t sure who AnnaLynne McCord is, but we just started liking GQ a lot more. [Egotastic]

Stay at Your Desk: Thom Browne goes to Florence to get even stricter and more austere. Think identical models and lots of trench coats. Doesn’t Italy usually make people looser? [IHT]

…and There’s a Planet: The latest web video gem retells the Star Wars saga with a spotty memory and a lot of Photoshop. [BoingBoing]

Well-Observed: Our distinguished editorial director dispenses a pearl of wisdom in quote form. Also, something about eCommerce. [NYObserver]

Vintage Point: Vintage ads shake us to our very core. [NotCot]

Candy Coating: Coats are back in…just like pants. [International Herald Tribune]

Nice Gammes: Thom Browne’s stuffy clerk meets Moncler’s puffy coat. We can’t wait. [Men.Style]

Paint the Town: Amateur portraiters are one of the many downsides to taking the office of the President. [Reference Library]

The fine folks who brought us the Umbuster have apparently stayed busy. But this time around it’s a more sartorial accomplishment.

Sruli Recht’s latest bowtie (via Josh Spear) claims to draw on Laotian textile secrets, but we’ll believe it when we see it. In fact, a more plausible source of inspiration (especially for the white piping) is Thom Browne’s work for the Hives, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Now that we think about it, we were looking for a place to pick up one of those…

It’s hardly news that fashion is cyclical, but frametop glasses were the last thing we expected to come back into style. Costume designers in Hollywood have been using them as shorthand for the creepy loner type for at least 15 years. We can’t help but suspect Thom Browne…

The dig on Thom Browne has always been that he’s all business—compared to his polar opposite Tom Ford, who seems to just comb his chest hair all day—so it’s no surprise that Browne would turn his eye to business accessories at some point.

The attaché case has been a standard of white collar American workers for going on fifty years now, but it’s hard to name a designer who’s paid it more attention than Mr. Browne. This one may be one of his more important creations this year. It’s all black leather on the outside, but if you open it up you’ll see where his head’s at: the lining is red, white, and blue.

We’re trads at heart, so we’re always happy to see someone putting a new spin on the staples of tradwear. (That would be the suit and the tuxedo, in that order.)

Viktor & Rolf slipped underneath our radar when they skipped out on the major runway shows, but by the looks of these press pics, we were missing out on quite a lot. The high-cuffed pants are straight out of the Browne playbook, but between the wildly patterned blazers, shimmering socks and boldly mixed high-top sneakers, there’s a lot here that isn’t indebted to anyone.

None of this is quite ready for Barneys, but we wouldn’t be surprised if there was a Uniqlo collaboration in their future.

See the slideshow»

Last time we checked in with Mjolk, they were pushing discreet checks, small collars and Thom Browne-esque hem lengths.

This time around the pants are a bit looser and they’re a bit more adventurous with color—particularly the lemon hue that’s ended up on a few of their latest socks and shirts—but the basic aesthetic is the same. Which is fine by us.

See more of Mjolk»

One of big takeaways from Battle of the Toms is how genuinely strange Thom Browne.

Compare this ad with some of Tom Ford’s glossy stills. Ford is exactly what we expect from a men’s designer: European influences, a gay sense of irony, and a generally hypermasculine style. Advertising aside, he’s not that different from Valentino, Hedi Slimane, or any of the designers that built the industry. He’s selling couture and sex together, just like everyone else in Bloomingdale’s.

But Thom Browne seems to be working from a different blueprint»

Girl from the Low Countries: For posterity’s sake: the definitive guide to Dutch women. [YesButNoButYes]

Some Kind of Comedian: The top ten comedians according to other comedians. We don’t know how Dane Cook missed this one. [Vulture]

Like Red but Not Quite: Nick Sullivan ponders the joys and dangers of the pinkish hue. We prefer “salmon” ourselves. [Esquire]

Gone Beggin’: Our new favorite Thom may be having some financial difficulties. He can always fall back on his acting career… [The Cut]

In the Shadows: Katy Perry goes all expressionist for Complex. [Complex]

I, For One, Welcome Our New Overlords: On the heels of Google Wave, the Mountain View gang unveil something that looks suspiciously like virtual reality. Sadly, the swimsuit module will take a bit more time to perfect. [PSFK]

Only Getting Madder: Mad Men’s third season will have an extra commercial break and two fewer minutes per episode. And yes, we’re so Hamm-starved that this qualifies as news. [Vulture]

Pencil it In: The style world gets sketched. We hope Thom Browne’s nose is ok… [Men.Style]

This morning’s Style section boasted a remarkably detailed summary of something that’s been going on behind the scenes for years now: the ongoing Japanese love affair with American preppy style. ACL gets a little much-deserved love, Daiki Suzuki gushes about Thom Browne’s Japanese style, and all is right with the world.

Then we got to this sentence…»

via Hypebeast

This pic comes from Moncler’s S/S 2010 show at Milan’s Piscina Cozzi. Thom Browne organized the line and the event, continuing his string of somewhat megalomaniacal unveilings.

I, for one, welcome our new overlords.

Suiting scraps are getting more and more play these days. The Dieline just gave us a first peek at the packaging for Black Fleece’s new fragrance, and the precious bottle’s cushioned with—you guessed it—fabric swatches. We’re guessing they had a few handy.

Thom Browne has been venturing away from the shrunken suit look lately, but this (hat tip) might be the first piece he’s made that counts as Kanye-esque.

The shell is a classic Americana piece, a rainwear parka that wouldn’t look too out of place on Clark Griswold, but once you add polka dots it starts to look an awful lot like streetwear. It is a hoodie, after all.

We’re certainly not complaining; it’s always good to see a designer testing the limits of their talent. We just didn’t expect there to be so much in it for Pharrell.