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Calvin Klein: Opulence In Minimalism

Turns out that minimalist is alive and well and thriving in America, even if it’s in a newly updated opulent form at the house of Calvin Klein, which on Thursday afternoon in Manhattan presented the most coherent statement of contemporary fashion we have seen thus far in the New York season.

By opulent we refer to mixed-media clothes where sleek sequined torsos, hammered matte cashmere, uber dry boiled wool, sleek cotton poplin and shaggy mohair managed to meet in a rich and patrician manner, yet never jar.

This fall 2008 collection staged on 39th Street in the heart of the Garment District was a true and proper triumph for Klein’s designer Francisco Costa, a quiet spoken Brazilian who has slowly but surely stamped his vision into Calvin’s DNA.

Somewhat ironically, though the best parts of the collection where for day the hues were largely black as right, in a palette that ranged from midnight blue and gunmetal to Atlantic storm gray and blackened silver.

But the heart of this show was the tailoring, where Dr. Costa cut with a micro surgeon’s scalpel, angling his incisions to create spruce mini tail coats, molded felt cabans and plush futurist pea coats. His sense of novel proportion was at its best with a series of austere cocktail dresses, where large panels of boiled wool reminded one of overlapping roof slates.

Largely of devoid of decoration and accessories – few belts and no bags – the collection did contain some really great shoes. You had to just love the glorious wedges and platforms composed of arty Josef Beuys felt or faux snakeskin suede, occasionally finished with shearling cuffs. They anchored and added gusto to the clothes.

The collection did not quite soar at night, where too many multi-plisse columns were elegant yet not really inspiring. Yet this was a minor hiccup in an assured collection that took a clear stylistic stance and defended it with bravura. Backed up by a wonderful military tattoo industrial sound track by DJ Frederic Sanchez and featuring the most elegant of the new crop of models – Alyona, Malin and Suvi, to name a few – this was Costa’s best show to date. Cool clothes for cool gals to meet cool guys. That good.

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