Is Thom Browne Possessed By Tim Burton?

Thom Browne is probably our favorite menswear designer: During fashion week's he's the name we're consistently looking for on the runway.

Thom has gone off the deep end with this fall's show. When we saw it, we scratched our head and wondered...

Is Thom Browne auditioning for costume designer for the next Tim Burton Movie?

Does Thom have a secret freaky circus sideshow fetish?

Is this a Project Runway challenge? We can hear Heidi Klum now: "Designers, your challenge is to create a look based on turn-of-the-Century sideshows. We want you to think Coney Island. Use your imaginations. We want to see straitjackets. We want to see chicken feathers. We want to see lots of dark eye makeup. Oh, and one more thing: This is a menswear challenge." [Insert collective groan from over-the-top contestants.] To which contestant Thom Browne said, "Yippee!! I've give them all that and raise them pointy hats with fuzzy-balled drawstrings, harlequin diamonded skirts, knee socks, clear plastic capes, conjoined legs and stilts!"

This is one of those runway shows that has a clear "point of view," though it's difficult to articulate, and one for which we have no idea how it will translate to real-life clothing. But you know what? No one ever does this type of risky thing with menswear, and we love Thom Browne for it, even if we do worry a bit about his mental health...