Amy Sherald Traded Her Painting Studio for the Front Row at Thom Browne

Painter Amy Sherald may have found her next subject at the Thom Browne spring 2027 show: look 11. “I was immediately drawn to the shape of it and the way the black, white, and red move across the volume of the body. It almost feels like a painting already,” Sherald tells Vogue. “I love when clothing changes the architecture of a figure and gives you a silhouette you wouldn’t otherwise have. There’s something playful and strange about it.”

Sherald, whose striking portraiture instantly transports viewers into a world of her own making, knows a thing or two about building a hyper-specific visual universe. At The Shed, she traded her colorful yet refined realism for Browne’s maximalist garden. “What I love about Thom’s work is that before you even see the looks, when you walk into the space, you’re already in the story,” she says.

“The scale immediately transported me. With the towering grass, the enormous flowers—suddenly, I felt very small inside this strange, beautiful world. There was something childlike and surreal about it, like stepping into an imagination rather than simply walking into a fashion show. And then the clothes become characters within that world. I love that kind of complete storytelling. That’s my favorite part.”

Thom Browne spring 2027, look 11.

Photo: Umberto Fratini / Gorunway.com

To step into Browne’s garden, Sherald opted for a checked suit with cropped cigarette pants and a red and white striped tie. “There’s something about a tie and a beautifully tailored suit that gives you a little swagger,” Sherald says. “It felt proper and irreverent at the same time.”

While Sherald was suited up for the show, the preparatory process was a decidedly lowkey one. “Getting ready is usually pretty relaxed for me. I like having enough time so that it doesn’t feel like an assembly line,” she says. “Maybe a glass of champagne if the timing is right. My favorite station to listen to is Yebba radio on Pandora—chill vibes are key!”

Here, Amy Sherald brings Vogue along as she gets ready for the Thom Browne show.