Odd, Alluring, and Alien
Design by Jae Choi
It’s rare that one will see something truly weird walking down the catwalk, especially at events as prestigious as Paris Fashion Week. Although the high fashion scene is known for pushing boundaries when it comes to structure, color, and nudity, one generally doesn’t find costume pieces working the runway outside of couture week.
Thus, Thom Browne’s 2026 Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear collection was a delightful surprise when the show opened on Monday, Oct. 5, featuring many-limbed aliens stalking the halls of the historic Hôtel Pozzo di Borgo — the former residence of the late iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
The venue’s long and storied history played a role in its selection as the set for the show. “[Reflections] of the past give way to a new future,” Browne said in the show notes. “From 1706 to the year 3000, a close encounter awaits…”
The collection delivered on its promise to blend new with old. Classic suit jackets and sweater vests walked down the runway alongside form-fitting, beddazzled tops and dresses that played on more modern sentiments regarding artistic nudity. The garments featured colors ranging from slate gray, pastel yellow, memorizing blue, vibrant reds and greens. Some jackets looked as though they had been ripped straight from a Frank Lloyd Wright gallery, with geometric patterns and a variety of bold colors dancing across the fabric. Even more eye-catching were the exaggerated silhouettes displayed on the runway. One baby blue dress-and-jacket look swallowing the model who donned it, her head seeming disproportionately tiny in comparison to the enormity of the garment. The collection also featured jackets with extra sleeves and trousers with extra pant legs, creating the illusion of multiple limbs.
The sublime strangeness of Browne didn’t just stop at colors and shapes, however. Perhaps the most striking characteristics of the show were the props and accessories, which included futuristic handheld signs and large, gem-encrusted alien masks worn by select models. Sparkling a brilliant emerald green under the old-fashioned gold-and-crystal chandeliers, the masks were a standout feature of the collection. They weren’t designed to be sexy. They were bold, outlandish and weirdly cute, even a little camp.
Still, despite how quirky the designer’s pieces seem in comparison to the rest of Paris Fashion Week’s designers’, the collection remained true to Browne’s brand. As always, his pieces were impeccably tailored and precisely constructed. Many articles of clothing featured the brand’s iconic red, white and blue grosgrain stripes; most were cut from tweed and wool, fabric choices that are staples of the brand. It’s a testament to Browne’s skill and daring artistic vision that he can explore new, interesting concepts with his collections while still remaining true to the brand he has built up.
In an era where it seems the beauty and fashion industry have begun to shy away from the bold and risky, with the rise in “clean girl makeup” and plastic surgery operations that erase unique features in exchange for an industry-approved face, Browne’s collection is a breath of fresh air. Fashion Week has become much less ornate over the years, with minimalist sets and designs dominating the scene; big-name houses like Alaïa, Dior and Saint Laurent showed collections with limited color palettes and little exploration of texture, with some innovation in structure, but nothing particularly daring or outlandish.
Not only did Browne’s collection stand out amongst his creative peers, it also took on a risky political undertone. “Aliens” mingling among humans and reassuring guests that they “come in peace” seems to be commentary on the current crackdown on immigration in the United States and other Western nations. His collection drops in the midst of raids against “illegal aliens” in the U.S.; just a few days prior to Browne’s extraterrestrials walking down the runway in Paris, ICE stormed an apartment complex in the South Side of Chicago, dragging people they believed to be illegal aliens from their beds, zip-tying residents and separating children from their parents.
It’s hard to say for certain whether the designer was purposefully making a statement with the theme of his collection. After all, Browne has previously claimed that he believes fashion is apolitical; he’s even dressed Melania Trump, the First Lady of the administration currently cracking down on immigration. Still, intentional or unintentional, art cannot help but be political and Browne’s collection, although so alien among other shows at Paris Fashion Week, provides an unnerving reflection of the world on the ground.