Thom Browne on the Subway

R Train
- headed uptown
- 3/19. 1:17 pm

I got on at the Canal Street station and I kid you not, sitting right there in front of me was Thom Browne. Not a facsimile, but the actual superstar designer himself. Not that one doesn't see Thom Browne around NYC. I've seen him at parties and of course walking around Soho, the Meatpacking District and once in the Garment District. But this was the NYC subway.

He was dressed - well, you know how he was dressed. I was ready to write this long description but its not necessary. The point about Thom Browne is that he is dressed the same everyday with few variations. I did notice that his shirt cuff buttons were undone, though they could have been French and just without links.

It was cool and weird at the same time. Cool well, because he's Thom Browne and he's in the subway. Weird because I was in my own version of the look - no socks and folded pants cuffs, but next to him I look like I'm dipping a toe in the pool of style while he is just dripping in fashion's oh-so-cool waters. Next to him, most mortals, let alone me, look uncool.

So, what did I do?
I wandered over to sit right across from him.
Made eye contact.

"Thom Browne takes the subway, huh?"
"Yes" came the reply

Crocs and Philip Roth

Woman

I think it was the Crocs that caught my eye. They were white, with multi-color flower and starfish buttons on them. It was the first time I had seen an adult woman with Crocs that were so decorated. Then, it was the book. She was reading a Philip Roth book – The Plot Against America, and a good 1/3 of the way though the novel. Crocs and Philip Roth, a new combination for the subway riding public of New York City to ponder.

She was blonde. Sitting diagonally across from me, was this dark blonde, seemingly natural, though the lighter streaks gave me some pause. Wearing a plain pair of black-framed glasses, reading her book. Her hair was shoulder length, but tied back in a ponytail. You could just make out the mole under her left ear as she turned her head slightly. A very plain-Jane librarian face. No make-up, no real hairstyle, and basic glasses.

The clothing was another window into her individualistic tendencies. If the Crocs and book revealed a lot, what do you ask about the woman who has turquoise tights on underneath her dark gypsy skirt? A gray singlet sits layered below a dusty pink tank top. Not sure if she had a bra on.

The rest of her was in the accessories. Well, first, a long necklace with pebbles made from sliver and colored resin. Then, a smaller necklace that had a single diamond pendant. One ring on her left middle finger – looked like a flea market ornate antique. No wedding ring, but a simple gold bangle on her left wrist. Looking down to her right ankle, there was a string bracelet visible while she was sitting. No earrings.

She was carrying a leather handbag that again reminded me of another flea market find. It had this frayed shoulder strap, and oddly enough a small troll affixed on the end of the zipper. A nod to her Crocs perhaps?

Most interestingly, I wasn’t the only one watching her. There was a younger woman eyeing her as well. And she herself was watching the men exiting the car at just about every stop.