Thom Browne Gets Playful With Colorful Optical Illusion Footwear for Spring 2026

Thom Browne injected color and whimsy into his alien-friendly spring 2026 show on Monday, all the way down to his creative footwear inventions.

Among the shoes were some fascinating hybrid designs which presented an optical illusion of sorts. A skin-tight knee-high stiletto boot, for example, featured extra straps and a matching heel that made the boot look like a sock layered with a dainty minimalist sandal. The boot also bore a signature of the brand, four white stripes, on the upper. This zip-up style hit the runway in multiple color combinations, including the baby blue suede and shiny red version pictured above.

Yet another zip-up boot style showcased the boot-heel optical illusion, but instead of a sandal it looked like a sock worn with a pointed-toe pump. Not to mention, the vamp featured a three-dimensional adornment resembling a dog, a detail making the shoes all the more playful. Another footwear style elevated this same look with a hefty rounded platform.

This trompe-l’œil shoe design was paired with outfits that also toyed with dimension and perception in a whimsical way — they looked like they had collars, buttons and tied sweaters but really just depicted flat representations of them.

Another prominent shoe style was a platform knee-high boot which overlaid a lace-up shaft onto a base that looked like a towering pump, with a cut out leaving an open space in the back. A shorter version of this look reached only to the ankle.

Additional footwear included color blocked brogues, and then another style that had a base like the brogue but was a lace-up, knee-high boot.

The presentation embodied an alien theme, with some models wearing alien heads coming down the runway. Miles Socha reviewed the show for WWD here.

Below, find additional photos from the Thom Browne spring 2026 show.