Designer Thom Browne builds a world of origami magic for a fantastical bird-themed runway show

NEW YORK (AP) — Thom Browne loves building fantastical worlds for his fashion shows, and his fall/winter 2025 collection was no exception. The designer filled a darkened Manhattan theater space with 2,000 graceful white origami birds, many suspended in the air, as he closed out New York Fashion Week on Tuesday.

To a soundtrack of bird sounds, poetry like Emily Dickinson’s “Hope is the Thing with Feathers,” and music evoking ornithological themes, Browne filled his runway with fanciful and inventive versions of his finely tailored suits, coats and jackets, some of them adorned with birds in brilliant colors, creeping across a jacket or coat.

Oscar nominee Adrien Brody sat next to Vogue editor Anna Wintour. Married actors Morgan Spector and Rebecca Hall sat together in the front row. Other guests included Cara Delevingne, musician St. Vincent and actors Cristin Milioti, Alessandro Nivola and Cole Escola.

Browne takes his time with his runway shows. They can last two or three times a usual runway show and tell a full story. In this case, the story centered on two caged lovebirds, in a white birdcage, longing to be free. “How marvelous would it be,” they wonder, according to production notes, “to be exactly who we wish to be?”

The runway show began with two “ornithologists,” with briefcases and in gray Thom Browne “uniforms.” They sat at a desk, near the caged lovebirds, and began watching the flock of fashions.

Models followed, made up with colored, feathery eyelashes and dressed in checks, tweeds, plaids, argyle knits or flannels. Browne's deconstructed or exaggerated shapes were, as usual, examples of highly inventive tailoring and silhouette work. There were 64 looks in all.

There were fanciful dresses, petticoats and a huge ball skirt. The most whimsical notes of all were the colorful bird motifs, in satin stitch or gold bullion embroidery, finding their way across garments.

There was also a nod to collegiate style, with a brown varsity-style jacket emblazoned with “65,” a reference to Browne’s birth year.

As always there were a few eye-popping handbags, including Browne’s favorite Hector bag, inspired by his own canine companion.

Whenever he shows in New York in February, Browne comes out at the end and presents a Valentine’s Day gift to his partner, Andrew Bolton, curator at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This time, in keeping with the monochrome origami theme, Browne ran out with a bouquet of white flowers.

Eiza Gonzalez attends the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Cara Delevingne, from left, Morgan Spector, Rebecca Hall, and Eiza Gonzalez attend the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Cara Delevingne attends the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Adrien Brody, left, and Anna Wintour attend the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Adrien Brody attends the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Cristin Milioti attends the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Eiza Gonzalez attends the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

St. Vincent, left, and Cara Delevingne attend the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Morgan Spector, left, and Rebecca Hall attend the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Adrien Brody, left, and Anna Wintour attend the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Two models sit at a table on the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Designer Thom Browne accepts applause after the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Designer Thom Browne accepts applause after the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Thom Browne Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at The Shed in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Senegal has made extensive complaints about the way its national soccer team is being treated in Morocco ahead of Sunday’s Africa Cup of Nations final against the host nation.

The Senegalese Football Federation, known as FSF, issued a statement in the early hours of Saturday morning in which it criticized an alleged lack of security arrangements for the team’s arrival in Rabat, problems with the team’s accommodation, issues with the training facilities, and difficulties getting a fair ticket allocation for its supporters.

It called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the local organizing committee to “immediately take every corrective measure to guarantee respect for the principles of fair play, equal treatment, and security indispensable for the success of this celebration of African football.”

Senegal 's players traveled by train from Tangier to Rabat on Friday, but found what the federation said was a “clear lack of adequate security measures” upon their arrival. Social media videos showed the players and staff surrounded by crowds of people jostling to get selfies and photos as they attempted to make their way to the team bus.

“We have to say what happened is abnormal, abnormal for a team like Senegal to be left with the crowd like that. The players were in danger. Anything could have happened through the actions of malicious people,” Senegal coach Pape Thiaw said Saturday at the pre-match news conference.

Anger boiled over during the news conference when one journalist suggested CAF was to blame for the shortcomings and not the local organizing committee. Senegalese media objected to his statement.

The federation said the lack of security at the train station "exposed the players and technical staff to overcrowding and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this magnitude and the prestige of a continental final.”

The federation said it had to file a formal written complaint to get adequate hotel accommodation for the team after its arrival in Rabat. It did not describe the condition of the accommodation the team was first offered.

The federation said it notified CAF of its “categorical refusal” to hold team training sessions at the Mohammed VI Complex, which is where the Morocco team has been based for the whole tournament. Morocco will also train there Saturday.

The federation said it “raises a question of sporting fairness” and that it still had not been informed of where the Senegal team can train.

In the media activities agenda for Saturday, shared with media on Friday, Senegal’s training session location was still to be confirmed.

The federation said the ticketing situation was “concerning.” It was only able to purchase 2,850 tickets for its supporters as per the maximum limits authorized by CAF.

The federation said the allocation is “insufficient given the demand” and that it “deplores the imposed restrictions, which penalize the Senegalese public.”

The capacity of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which is hosting the final, is 69,500 fans. Morocco has been buoyed by vociferous support in all its games so far.

Morocco is bidding to end a 50-year wait for its second Africa Cup title. Senegal, which won the 2021 trophy, is also going for its second title.

The federation said it was making its complaints public “in the interest of transparency and to defend the interests of the Senegalese national team.”

AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations

Senegal squad pose before the Africa Cup of Nations semifinal soccer match between Senegal and Egypt, in Tangier, Morocco, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohamed Bounaji)