Thom Browne Brings Edgar Allan Poe’s ‘The Raven’ to Life with Dramatic NYFW Show — and Janet Jackson Sat Front Row

In true Thom Browne style, he closed New York Fashion Week with a bang, putting on an epic show that was truly a spectacle.

To showcase his Fall/Winter 2024-25 men’s and women’s collections, Browne created an Edgar Allan Poe-themed landscape with The Gilded Age actress Carrie Coon reads “The Raven” to narrate the entire scene. Stars like Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah and Antonio Porowski sat in the front row for the show.

Janet Jackson, Thom Browne and Queen Latifah.

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Held at The Shed at Hudson Yards, the wide open space was blanketed in fake snow and visitors sat around the desolate landscape. One model played a tree, wearing an oversized puffer sport coat with a suit underneath. The model stood like a beacon through the show while everything else moved around the huge puffer coat.

A tree at the Thom Browne exhibition.

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“One midnight, dreary, in a snow-covered field idle and eerie, a tree stands in the mist, shrouded in silk moire, a 30-foot chesterfield puffer, children come out from under, eager to hear a dark, dark story,” the song went during the show. Yes, the children did, in fact, come out from under their coats as part of the theater.

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Browne’s ready-to-wear collection stayed true to what you’d expect from the designer and his eponymous line. It included plenty of checkerboard prints, heavy coats and structured trousers. And there are always voluminous silhouettes at the Thom Browne show.

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Behind the tree was also a model wearing a gold bubble jacket that was removed to reveal a more elegant gold look underneath. Curious visitors would also notice the model’s jacket even had “Nevermore” — just like “The Raven” — written on the back. The main feature is, of course, its distinctive stripe and dog-shaped bag.

Model at the Thom Browne fashion show.

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To further illustrate the evening’s over-the-top drama, Browne amped up the hair and makeup on his models with several long braids sticking out of their heads as if to display horns. For glam, some models had bold eye makeup with rhinestones around or what looked like branches subtly drawn on their faces. Almost all the models wore bright, bold red lipstick.

Model at the Thom Browne fashion show.

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Browne said Vogue before the show that his references to “The Raven” do not mean that he is a tortured soul like the person who is the subject of the poem – he is simply a fan of the author. “I grew up loving Edgar Allan Poe,” he said, “and also, I always like people to see that I’m an American designer.”

The designer also noted that Vogue — which became visible through the show — that he did not literally translate “The Raven” into the collection. The references were not directly related to birds and instead he incorporated more natural elements, such as insects, and brought lighter notes such as flowers into the mix.

Model at the Thom Browne fashion show.

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“As one story comes to an end, another begins. A ravishing gold beetle appears draped in a gold jacquard robe embossed with roses and black moiré inlaid ravens,” the modified song read as it came to a close, the model with a gold bubble cape revealed. “Her hand-knit gold bouillon cardigan tightly cinched with a corset top skirt finished with a white silk puff skirt.”

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The front row was emblazoned with Browne’s signature. Jackson wore a black suit with a long white coat with black and white shoes. Queen Latifah wore a voluminous black coat with ruffles underneath a structured dress and an unusual bag with a watch. Porowski wore a skirt and waistcoat with a jacket thrown over the top.

Thom Browne.

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Although “The Raven” is a decidedly dark song, Browne ended his set on a brighter note when he came out to take his bow. The designer ran into the open area with a large heart-shaped box of candy and handed it to his partner, Andrew Bolton, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, who was sitting in the front row. The sweet moment lifted the show’s heavy tones as it drew to a close after Coon’s voice rang out the final notes of “Nevermore.”

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Source: HIS Education