Thom Browne Quotations

When people have too many choices, they make bad choices.

Men don't know enough about being courteous toward women. You should get into a cab before a woman so she doesn't have to slide across the seat. And you should always go first into a revolving door so she doesn't have to push - unless it's moving, then let her go first.

Seersucker and khaki suits are the key to looking put-together in the summer. I also wear shorts year-round. And I would never say never, but I don't wear sandals. With shorts, it's wing tips and tennis socks.

Obama does look good, but he could look better. The most important thing for politicians is to keep their clothes really simple and make sure their clothing actually fits.

I think my collection is doing really well, but collaborating is actually just a nice exercise in doing something different. For example, I do things very differently for Moncler that I wouldn't specifically do for me. For me, I can do whatever I want. With other companies, you have to stay responsible to them.

Every collaboration I do, I feel like I've benefitted in so many different ways; it all depends on the organization. With Moncler, there is such a heritage to the brand and to the way that they work. With Brooks Brothers, in the same way, having the heritage to draw from in that collaboration is invaluable.

It is so important to be really true to yourself in design, and I am.

As a designer, I think you just have to make sure you know what you want and stay true to it. You need to have conviction and really just want to make people think in regards to doing interesting things.

I love the idea of things being strict and things being uniform. That's the reason why I surround each collection with humor or irony. I want to make sure that it's not too serious and that there is some element that throws it off because otherwise that would make it really boring. There's always a story that's somewhat fantastical.

I think pattern makers are some of the most underrated, undervalued people in fashion. They're the people who are sometimes the geniuses in designing clothing.

If you saw me every day, you would actually think I am wearing the exact same gray suit,

I've always dressed the same. I've never made a fashion mistake. I've always worn utilitarian. I started my collection because I wanted certain specific things, but before that it was vintage and classic Brooks Brothers.

It's sad that the cell phone is replacing the watch as a time-telling device. I wear a vintage watch that's really skinny.

I do love the provocative side of my collection, but I also like the classics - the simpler skirts and the sweater sets and the shirtdresses. And I always love to see girls in jackets and trousers.

Some people think that my shows are just for shock value, but the provocation makes those classic pieces look different every six months. You don't need to see the same gray suit every season. But surrounding it with 40 really interesting ideas makes it feel new.

I like the idea of men's tailoring on girls. It's very strong and sexy in a non-overt way.

I feel like jeans and a T-shirt have become Establishment. Everyone’s dressed down. So actually putting on a jacket is the anti-­Establishment stance.

Since Brooks Brothers is a 189-year-old company, there are plenty of references and inspirations I can draw from their archives and catalogs. The wearer of Black Fleece may not be all that different from mine, in that I imagine that it would be someone who is a true individual, and independent thinker. This is for both men and women.

I want to put concepts in front of people that make them laugh or smile or even hate what I do. I'm not interested in just putting clothes in stores.

I'm not Amish, but I grew up in that same area of Pennsylvania and became very attracted to the inherent strictness and uniformity of that community.

My uniform: grey suit, white shirt, grey tie and tie bar, grey cardigan and black wingtips.

Some people, when they see my shows, leave saying, 'Who would wear that?'

When it comes to shoes, you don't really need more than a few pairs of wing tips or oxfords. They're classics. And I wear only black shoes in the city. Brown ones are for the country.

Designing is so easy - it's the business that is hard. That's why you really have to respect Ralph Lauren - look at what he's done. Anybody who can sustain themselves should be applauded.

I like to maintain my collection as a provocative collection that makes people think. While certainly my stamp will be visible on Black Fleece, it is meant for a wider audience.

My dad was an attorney. The last thing he ever thought about was clothes, and yet somehow he always looked good.

I come from a family of bankers and lawyers, and they joked that they can't believe I'm the one that gets to go to the White House.

I always like playing with some sort of typical convention or idea and turning it over.

I was asked to design the tuxedo for Mr. Peanut. They're rebranding him. That was probably the most interesting request. I didn't spend a long time considering it.

I think guys don't always realize that clothing that fits is actually more comfortable than clothing that doesn't fit. I think guys do sometimes wear clothing that is too big.

I think good tailoring and something that's well-made never gets boring or tiring.

While I think men in general should not fuss over how they look, I do feel as though they should make more an effort to find a way to look good in their own individual, but natural way. I think it's a shame that it's become acceptable to wear jeans and a T-shirt to any place and function.

I've always been drawn to the American style in the late '50s and '60s.

Doing womenswear is challenging, and it's exciting. I approach it the same way as I approach menswear, so it's in a tailored way, and I do my thing. I love doing it.

Nothing is worse than a home that is too perfect and done. You have to live in it.

Nothing should be perfect. I think that's the most important thing. I do wear my jackets almost exaggeratedly short. So that's probably the most mussed up. Along with, you know, not ironing my shirt.

As a designer, I'm supposed to be provoking people's reactions, and getting people to see things differently. I think more of us should be doing this. Because yeah, maybe guys are not gonna want to wear my stuff, but they'll think that they can maybe wear something a little bit more than what they've been wearing. That's the only way things move forward.

The most uninteresting thing for me is when somebody thinks too much about how they put themselves together.

Men shouldn’t try too hard, or think about what they wear too much. I like when there’s something about a look that throws it off a little – perfection is really imperfect.

Every man should own a navy cashmere jacket with gold buttons, a grey suit, black shoes shoes for the city, brown shoes for elsewhere. Everything else should be simple and really well made.

I don’t understand why everybody thinks that dressing casually is so much more comfortable. I’m as comfortable in a suit as I am in anything else.

If you’re constantly open to inspiration, it will come to you. The worst thing a man can do is pressure himself into an idea.

Anyone who is confident in themselves is much more stylish.

An idea that is confident always looks masculine.