COLLECTING

Editor Nick Haramis and artist Misha Kahn talk Thom Browne, texture and the appeal of outré ensembles.

Nick Haramis and Misha Kahn walk us through their Thom Browne collection, including suits, platform brogues and even a flip-phone.

Brooklyn-based power couple Nick Haramis, a Canadian whose current gig is editor-in-chief of Interview Magazine, and Misha Kahn, a multimedia artist who hails from Minnesota, have received much media attention for their eccentrically decorated apartment. Yet their decadent wardrobe choices also beg for a space in the spotlight thanks to an eclectic closet teeming with pleasingly tactile pieces and scads of items by designer Thom Browne.

Haramis says his family “bopped around quite a bit” during his youth, and his early attempts at dressing were apparently equally all over the map: While listing a chronology of personal style, he highlights a period of “only wearing pyjamas in public” when he was in high school.

Once at university, he discovered the work of singular tailoring titan Thom Browne, and over the years, Haramis’s style has become manicured, perhaps, but no less adventurous.

“The more familiar I became with Thom’s work, the more I imagined an idealized version of myself in the clothes,” says Haramis. He now owns an array of Browne’s sought-after suits, ranging from formalwear to sportier fare, as well as some looks that defy definition (a specialty of Browne’s). One such outfit is from the Spring 2017 season: a cream-coloured suit crafted with shark-bite-style cut-outs. “Misha wore it to a Met Gala after-party, and now it’s got red-wine stains down the front that look like blood, which weirdly works,” he notes.

While the duo does share clothing, their tastes aren’t entirely matchy-matchy. Kahn’s inclinations veer toward vibrant, palpable pieces, and he adores the OTT offerings from designers like Walter Van Beirendonck, Henrik Vibskov and Cynthia Chang—looks that intrigue as well as delight the eye. “In my work, I like it when there’s a texture that tricks you— something that looks soft but is hard or vice versa,” he says. “In clothing, we expect certain things; it’s nice not to meet those expectations head-on.” n

THE MORE FAMILIAR I BECAME WITH THOM’S WORK, THE MORE I IMAGINED AN IDEALIZED VERSION OF MYSELF IN THE CLOTHES.

PLUSH LIFE “An unexpected tactile quality is so hard to put into words, so it brings you to a different part of your mind and spirit—like when you walk on moss or fall into muck,” says Kahn. Here he has paired a plush Henrik Vibskov sweater with bespoke brocade trousers.

HEIGHT FEVER “I learned about fashion through Gregg Araki movies and about beauty through Bret Easton Ellis books, which really just means that I’m wildly unhinged,” says Haramis about any style rules he adheres to. His whimsical Thom Browne platform brogues, from the designer’s Spring 2019 collection, would certainly add an element of unexpectedness to any look.

KNIT WIT “Nick said he’d never seen me look so giddy,” says Kahn of when he acquired this quirky Comme des Garçons sweater at one of the brand’s sample sales.

PARTY ON The “disco effect” achieved by the mirrors on this Walter Van Beirendonck jacket makes it one of Kahn’s favourite pieces. “I love the intense embroidery,” he adds.

TRACK RECORD “This track suit is from a Thom Browne collaboration with Colette from 2017,” says Haramis. “When I wear it to go running, I feel very much like Julia Louis-Dreyfus in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. And that’s a compliment.”

GOOD CALL In addition to having a covetable closet of Thom Browne clothing, Haramis is the proud owner of an assortment of tech items the designer made in collaboration with Samsung, including a flip-phone, a smartwatch and headphones. “The thing that’s addictive about Thom Browne is that he has created an entire universe through his designs,” says Haramis.

CHAOS THEORY A strikingly strange set from Thom Browne’s Pre-Spring 2018 menswear collection is a bold departure from his iconic grey suiting.

CHECK MATES “In their mixed messaging—the pieces are prim but with punches of humour and punk—Thom Browne’s clothes become works of art,” notes Haramis.