Francisco Costa continues to be one of the few fashion designers showing at New York Fashion Week that continually evolves the DNA of the brand he represents. From one season to the next his research in terms of fabrication, printing and construction have made the Calvin Klein show one of the richest and intriguing offerings of the week.
This season he looked to be enjoying playing with perceptions and preconceived notions about what a garment is meant to be. He continued to explore the idea he had first alluded to in his pre-fall lineup by incorporating photo-printing on silk ensembles, so that a real fur jacket would be followed by one printed 2-D onto a dress. Or an ensemble composed of an assortment of different plaid fabrics b would return on the catwalk a few moments later as a photo print alternative of the same fundamental concept.
But it was when Costa brought in slices of geodes to embellish his plissé gowns (most spectacularly at the navel of one dress) or photo-printed stone polka dots on shift dresses that this collection really struck out into new fashion territory.
The designer should be congratulated for continuing to challenge himself and his clients fifteen years into his tenure as the brand’s womenswear creative director. His work has an austere allure that is both fascinating and forward-thinking.