“How marvelous it would be, to be exactly who we wish to be?”

New York-based designer Thom Browne muses as such over self-identity and dreams in his Fall/Winter 2025 run of show — set on a backdrop of over two thousand hand-crafted, snow white origami cranes. The stunning display of art references the Japanese traditional belief that by meticulously folding upwards of one thousand paper birds, the crafter will gain a singular wish. Two scribes set the stage in the centre of the swirling landscape of fantastical Thom Browne suiting looks and whirls of crisp folded paper, devoutly scrawling what might well be their granted wishes beside each other in stoic silence amidst the focused display of hope. A gilded small cage sat atop the writing desk speaks to what both may be and what can also be overcome. Browne utterly transforms The Shed at Hudson Yards into an alternate universe where anything is possible if one dares to believe it may be so, despite any darkness that surrounds them.

As a childishly crisp voice lightly calls out Emily Dickinson’s famed poem “Hope” is the thing with feathers, equally crisp tailored looks in typical Thom Browne fashion begin to slowly fill the darkened void. Long feathers flutter from models’ eyelashes in jewel toned hues atop structured square lip shapes referencing Browne’s trademark tri-tone striping. Long nails in cat shapes feel otherworldly, turning hands into delicately bestial figures beside storybook exaggerated garments with just the right amount of whimsy sewn into perfect seams. If anyone knows quality bespoke craftsmanship, it’s Browne.

Each garment seemed more fanciful than the last — traditional herringbone met pastel gingham in the front of one gown, to reveal an entirely separate piece for the rear view with tiered tulle flouncing at each careful step. Striped silk tie-adjacent pleated shapes on an asymmetric shouldered dress melted into a plaid pleated skirt nearly seamless, twisting around the body and opening to pale silk between each dark pleat. Long oversized coats in square silhouettes blended masculine with feminine in a way only Browne has uniquely mastered: darkly glimmering costume jewels atop deep gray British wool playfully end in a separate tartan double hem cut with a blazer’s curve, nearly sweeping the floor. Many looks, of course, were accompanied primly by the Thom Browne signature hound via three-dimensional bags in a rainbow of rich hues.

Online fashion followers and veteran industry insiders may not always see eye to eye, but one thing is clearly agreed upon in wholeheartedly in whisperings after recent seasons — the New York Fashion Week gem is missing a few facets needed to shine as brilliantly as its nostalgic, tented days gone by. Audiences yearn for the dramatic, the theatric, the emotion, and the craftsmanship. They oft bemoan backstage the recent rise of the deadpan influencer economy, flash-of-lightning trends that fade to oblivion within weeks, and the viral tendency towards spectacle over storytelling. Thom Browne brings what we’ve been folding our own cranes for in recent seasons with this autumnal showcase for 2025 — hope. Hope, heart, and a bit of fleeting cheekiness swirl into a story worth telling. As the two scribes in the centre of the room silently folded their notes, backed their chairs, and joined together as one for their exit after the last look had been swallowed back by the darkness at the end of the runway…we felt for just a moment that everything was right in this world of chaos and change.

Discover the collection that brought a tear to the eye of editors and photographers alike, brought to life by New York’s own esteemed designer Thom Browne. With fantastical shapes and theatrical elements built upon raw emotion, the Fall/Winter 2025 showcase puts to pedestal the essential core feeling of pure hope that beats boats back against currents, finds solace in stormy seas, and warms the coldest of peaks. Veteran runway photographer Ailin Stimson brings us on a journey from the front row’s star-studded guest list looks to the eclectic tailored Thom Browne catwalk pieces, for an exclusive bird’s eye view of the runway that brought a bright ray of hope back to New York Fashion Week for No Alibi Magazine’s inaugural edition.