Everything at Calvin Klein is shrinking: the runway, the run-of-show – and the collection was a mere 36 looks.
Designer Francisco Costa was charged with communicating his message in a quick, no-nonsense way, which he did brilliantly: black, black and more black with a few shots of red; tulle embroidered with bits of chiffon, wool or mohair. For the first time in ages, this collection included suits with exaggerated box pleats that were artful. It’s a little bit of a new day at Calvin Klein.
Alice Temperley is a glamour puss. Seemingly always in love with a romantic time gone by, this season’s subject was 1940s Hollywood. More modern and restrained than this collection has ever been, it is still super feminine and sexy. The standouts were the intarsia sweater-knit dresses. Instead of Temperley London’s signature leaf and vine pattern, an orchid was knit into these dresses seamlessly.
Vera Wang carried on doing exactly what she does best for the fall – creating understatedly chic and gently tailored pieces for the urban woman who’s endlessly pursuing cool, but refuses to compromise on comfort. Loose, flowing dresses and gowns reflected the somber feeling we’ve been seeing on runways all week – blacks, grays, whites and muted jewel tones. Wang does, however, break from her standard silhouette and for fall expect to see experimentation with flouncey puffball dresses, slouchy coats and extreme empire waists.
It was elegant, subtle, refined and unabashedly feminine at J. Mendel: stunning ’30s-inspired tiered chiffon dresses in dove gray and dusty pink; sleek black silk cocktail dresses with mink trim; and, of course, the fur coats the house is famous for (most notably, a white mink with an art-deco pattern). J. Mendel is not for everyone – it takes a confident woman to wear it – but it was perfect.
Formerly a line of intimate apparel, Araks expands this fall to a fuller line of ready-to-wear. But the house’s unmentionable antecedents are evident in designer Araks Yeramyan’s smart-sexy clothing, which, with its body-skimming cashmere and silk, still possesses the intimate feeling of lingerie – touchable clothes in muted pastels and pale grays are easy on the eye.
The Wunderkind collection, does not pass muster at Fashion Week – but it will when the knockoffs hit Zara any minute.