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The $3,900 Thom Browne Wetsuit

   September 6th, 2017   Posted In: Articles   Tags:

The Thom Browne Tuxedo Wetsuit Makes a Splash. Kinda.

The Thom Browne Tuxedo Wetsuit is advertised as the latest in water recreation fashion. Maybe it is. Or, maybe not. You be the judge.

Origins of This Snazzy Piece

First worn by male models during the 2017 Men’s SS17 Runway Show, the Thom Browne Tuxedo Wetsuit has a center-back zipper; comes with a red, white and blue grosgrain tab; white neoprene cuffs, collar, and shirt design; along with a black neoprene sewn-down tie.

thom browne wetsuit

Image courtesy of The Inertia

Dubbed “Trompe L’Oeil,” which is French for “deceiving the eye, ” Browne’s goal was to mimic the same lines of the traditional jacket, trousers, lapels, collar, and tie.

A Few Raving — But Mostly Ragging — Reviews

“Browne and company set their eyes on the enthusiast’s essential uniform — the wetsuit… TB gets a bit fashion-forward by giving its wearers the illusion of actually donning a traditional suit. Composed of functional neoprene, the waterproof gear fits the male form perfectly — Thom Browne’s signature tailoring works wonders for this latest release,” exclaims HYPEBEAST‘s in-house blogger.

In another review, the author explains, “You never know when you have to look your best for a business meeting, and now a surfing break doesn’t have to be a problem anymore!”

But, not all of the reviews have been as glowing. In fact, most comments about the Trompe L’Oeil are hilariously harsh.

A few comments below the HYPEBEAST blog included, “Yeah this won’t get you teased by the locals, no sir!” and, “I can’t stop laughing!” and a less light-hearted comment, “This is a disgrace to surf culture.”

Quality? Who Knows…

There is no information on the thickness or elasticity of the wetsuit’s neoprene on the Thom Browne website. Wetsuit Wearhouse has not inquired Thom Browne directly, as no customers have ever requested such a suit. Don’t get me wrong. We get some unique, sometimes off-the-wall requests over here. Superman wetsuits, weight training sweatsuits (omg), the list goes on.

With a $4,000 price tag and no product guarantee, Thom Browne appears to be leaning heavily on the radical fashion design of the wetsuit. Or, maybe Browne’s marketing team is simply testing the “build it and they will come” theory.

Regardless, we think you can do a heck of a lot better for well under $500 😉

Chris "Mole" Moleskie is the Founder, President, and CEO of Wetsuit Wearhouse. Mole grew up in the water on the East Coast. After graduating from Salisbury University, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, he headed to San Diego to find the eternal Ocean City. Wetsuit Wearhouse was formed a few years later in 2001. He swims, surfs when he can, SCUBA dives, wakeboards, SUPs, snowboards 15-20 days a season, and recently fell in lust with wakesurfing. Mole spends his summers at the not so secret Wetsuit Wearehouse Testing Facility on the Potomac River.

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