They Came in Pleats
Review of Thom Browne Spring 2026 Fashion Show
By Mackenzie Richard Zuckerman
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Speculative Tailoring & Alien Poise
Thom Browne’s world has always lived somewhere between exacting tradition and theatrical fiction. Spring 2026 took that tension to its most surreal setting yet – a visit to another planet, or perhaps a planet that visited us. Through sterling grommets, twisted tailoring, and anatomically embroidered bodysuits, Browne imagined his signature wardrobe as filtered through extraterrestrial eyes. It was a collection less about literal storytelling and more about estrangement – seeing familiar silhouettes from a place of unfamiliarity.
Browne frequently stages his work within an imaginative construct – this season’s alien lens revealed itself with refreshing precision. His house codes remained intact, but the context shifted. By inserting humor and sci-fi oddity into his rigorous construction, he offered a kind of speculative tailoring: garments designed to fit beings with extra limbs, strange proportions, or otherworldly poise. And in doing so, he challenged us to look again. Like the cinematic trope of the alien experiencing Earth with wide-eyed wonder, Browne’s latest effort asked: What happens when we view fashion as if for the first time?
Of course, there’s a more grounded reading too. Across the show, one could detect a quieter evolution in the pattern work – most notably, a twisted front shoulder construction that subtly referenced raglan sportswear. Browne cited this as a focal point for the season, though like many of his technical shifts, it risked being overshadowed by the conceptual dressing. In a label so visually codified, structural changes can whisper instead of shout.
THE DIRECTION
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THE QUOTE
I just thought it would be interesting to see multiple limbs on the trousers and jackets. They looked like aliens – and I thought, here you go. I really just wanted to play and have fun, because the construction of everything is very serious. But I wanted it to feel lighthearted too.
—Thom Browne
THE WRAP UP
This wasn’t Browne’s most radical transformation, but it was one of his more conceptually satisfying pairings of idea and execution. The alien conceit didn’t overwhelm the garments – it animated them. By turning the runway into a stage of surreal anatomy and space-age wit, he gave familiar shapes a new strangeness, and with it, a fresh sense of curiosity.
Still, there’s an open question hovering over Browne’s practice. With such a defined visual lexicon, how does one continue to evolve without repetition? How many shrunken blazers and pleated skirts can be recontextualized before the tension between change and consistency begins to flatten? Browne walks this line deftly, and his ability to mine endless variation from a strict framework is part of his genius. But as his archive deepens and his following solidifies, the demand for surprise – whether in cut, concept, or construction – only grows. The reverence for his work remains earned. The challenge now is sustaining that reverence by continuing to reimagine what his world can hold.
