Forget the NFL, Thom Browne Football Is the Most Fashionable Game this Thanksgiving

Every Thanksgiving since his childhood, Thom Browne has suited up and played a game of football. When he was growing up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, this probably meant putting on some sweats and a t-shirt. Anyone who knows anything about the (mostly) gray wool world of Thom Browne, fashion designer, knows that such a casual uniform wouldn’t do today, and so for the past several years, Browne has assembled a group of players in actual suits for a two-hand touch game in Central Park. “Family traditions are really important,” says the designer. “Doing this every year is a really charming reminder of how important my family is to me.”

Clad in the latest Browne apparel, the football teams have included models, actors, fashion editors, photographers, dancers; everyone and anyone in the greater Thom Browne orbit—and that orbit is really quite large. In the past year alone, Browne has made his mark on Broadway, where Tony winner Cynthia Erivo is a fan; at the Met Gala, where Cardi B stunned in a ruby-encrusted dress, and in sports, where LeBron James has made Browne his de facto stadium uniform.

The cast of players at this year’s game was equally star studded, with the likes of Lil Uzi Vert, Ella Balinksa, and drag queen Dan Donegan hitting the field. The only difference between past celebrations and this one is that the two teams—aptly coordinated by color: Gray vs. Navy—are wearing Browne’s new football-themed capsule. Releasing in Browne’s stores and at Bergdorf Goodman today, the capsule collection is comprised of jersey remakes of classic Browne silhouettes like a blazer, long shorts, button down, and cheerleader skirt, as well as gym bags and knits.

Kick off occurred on a frigid day in early November, requiring both teams to assemble in the collection with some helpful additions: thermal leggings and wool scarves and beanies. Let’s call the setting more Frozen Tundra (Green Bay Packers) than Jerry World (Dallas Cowbosy ). As a Packers fan myself, I probably should have prepared a bit better for the ice bowl that awaited, but green and gold aren’t really Browne’s colors, so I hit the field with bare knees to try to prove I had cred. The good news is I threw a couple of spirals—yes, Browne’s jersey blazer actually stretches and move so you can do your best Aaron Rodgers impression—before shoving hand warmers into my pockets and letting the rest of Team Navy do the legwork on the field.