Pushing the boundaries of fashion – that Thom Browne wedding dress.

Gender confusion is nothing new to the world of fashion. Chanel practically started riots when they started a trend for tailored suits for women in the 50′s, men in the 80′s sported more eyeliner than women had ever dared to use, and the 90′s saw a general androgynous ambiguity on the catwalks. Yet Thom Browne still managed to cause a bit of a stir at Fashion Week, with his Spring/Summer 09 show featuring plenty of skirt/trouser combos, and even a wedding dress.

The wedding gown outfit worn by a male model that was the finalé to Thom Browne’s Spring/Summer tennis themed show, has been one of the most talked about designs of Fashion Week so far. Although there may not be a waiting list to purchase the outfit, my guess would be that enough designers will have taken note of the design for us to see tailored white blazers with black trim filtering into high street stores in time for Spring 09.

In a world where a general malais of ‘been-there-bought-the-Tshirt’ threatens to dampen creative thinking, (if it has all been done before, why bother?) fashion designers are one breed of artists who continue to inspire us anew.

While Thom Browne’s sensationalist collections aren’t designed with the average high-street consumer in mind, they challenge us to look past the limits of conventional or current clothing rules to find our own sense of style. And that is what couture fashion is all about.