Evidently the man behind the shrunken silhouette has a bit of a cruel streak. While giving a speech entitled "Tweaking the Timeless" Saturday on Manhattan's Upper East Side, he confessed that while it felt good to dress a model in a beaded lace suit for his Fall '06 show—held at an ice rink—"sticking him on skates and letting him fall felt even better." Well, at least the designer has a high pain threshold of his own, judging by his bare ankles in the subfreezing temperature. His talk was part of a conference modestly dubbed "Timeless: The Anatomy of Legendary Style and Icons," and Browne sounded a reflective note throughout. (Maybe it was the presence of his mom, who had come up from Allentown to see her boy.) "You don't often think of yourself outside of your own little world," Browne told moderator Andrew Bolton, adding that he was largely unaware of his influence on menswear. He went on to state that he didn't know what he was doing. Cheer up, Thom—things seem to be working out so far.

Speaking of, Browne's friends at Brooks Brothers dropped off DNR's annual list of American megabrands, which was published today. Also out: Ray-Ban, Chaps, Lacoste, and Bulova, while Perry Ellis, Gucci, J.Crew, Oakley, and National Geographic (?) were added. Fruit of the Loom pushed out Levi's for the top spot, presumably thanks to those goofy commercials with Vince Gill