Thom Browne shoots wearability to the moon at Little Prince-inspired New York show

Chatter at New York fashion week is about something far from remarkable – the return to “ordinary” wearable clothes on the catwalk rather than those that chase the viral moment. But American designer Thom Browne didn’t get the memo. His collection shown on Tuesday evening was fantastical.

The set featured a “crashed” old-fashioned aeroplane and the first two models – so said the voiceover – were visitors to a new planet. One wore a padded romper suit while the other had puffed spiky hair and a blazer with Browne’s contentious four stripes on the arm.

The show continued with a series of male models wearing dresses accessorised with long finger and toenails and headdresses that looked like Saturn.

A model brandishes long fingernails and dons a Saturn-inspired headdress. Photograph: Rob Kim/Getty Images

They were followed by designs utilising Chanel-like tweed and the bulky shoulders of a quarterback, bubble-like skirts, corsets and bags shaped like sausage dogs. There was also – perhaps inevitably – a series of striped shirts deconstructed on to jackets and wrap skirts. The final outfit was a gown made from white tulle and repurposed white jackets as a skirt.

Thom Browne’s signature four stripes can be seen on the models at his Tuesday show at The Shed, New York. Photograph: Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images

Backstage, Browne – who won a court battle with sports giant Adidas over his use of stripes in January – said the show was based on The Little Prince, the 1943 novella that tells the story of a young boy visiting various planets including Earth. “It’s the adults who don’t understand anything and the kids who understand everything,” he said, adding: “It’s so important to create a fantasy that makes the world so much more interesting to live with.”

Does he feel more free now the court case is over? “It’s a relief! But I would have done this even if I had lost.”

A gown made with white tulle. Photograph: Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images

There’s little doubt the verdict would have made it even sweeter, however. The sports brand had accused Browne of using stripes that too closely resembled their three-stripe logo. If they had been successful, Adidas were asking for US$867,225 (£711,280) in potential licensing fees and more than $7m to represent the profit Adidas believes Browne made by using the stripes.

After the verdict, a spokesperson said: “We look forward to continuing to design and provide the creative products that have become the hallmark of the Thom Browne label.”

Out of the ordinary. Photograph: Lexie Moreland/WWD/Getty Images

Browne’s 2023 has continued in a positive manner. Soon afterwards, it was announced the label would take over the operations of its business in Korea, where it had previously partnered with Samsung.

Then JuJu Smith-Schuster, wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, wore a Thom Browne skirt to the Superbowl.

Whoopi Goldberg and Queen Latifah sat front row at his show with Browne’s partner, the curator Andrew Bolton. For his finale, he gave Bolton a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day.

If Browne’s extraordinary show deviated from the idea of making clothes to elevate the ordinary, Gabriela Hearst is onboard with this point of view. Her collection, partially inspired by modernist designer Eileen Gray, was shown in Brooklyn earlier in the day. It featured skirt suits, sweater dresses and well-cut coats. With the required bank balance, they could have be worn straight off the catwalk.