CALVIN KLEIN SPRING 2010

There’s always an architectural quality to Francisco Costa’s work at Calvin Klein that clothes often look like modern sculptural buildings more than clothes. So much so that often the dress wears the model, not vice-versa. This is the problem I have with Costa’s work. I don’t know why but the collection failed to trigger a positive emotional response from me. I thought perhaps I just didn’t get it. You know, you’re the one with the problem Nigel. But then I thought back to Donna Karan’s latest collection and I felt like my heart was going to bust through my chest because it was so much more than just a dress on a model.

The show opened with a single-sleeved dress that sat away from the body like paper, as though it weren’t made for a person. Texture played heavily throughout the collection with some great results. Crinkled jackets, glossy tank dresses looked like latex, bubbly blocks woven into tops and jackets looked great. There was an oversized pocket motif that appeared on jackets, some jutting out and mirroring the hem of short sleeves.
Costa will be running head to head with Marc Jacobs over who’s got the best flats for summer. Both Jacobs and Costa did Japanese geta-like flats. Well, they’re mostly flat, Costa stacked them up a bit but they looked fresh and covetable. The collection had a palette of mainly white, grey and black with a dusting of icy blue, pale lime and pale pink on a trio of looks.
I can’t fault the fabric techniques, the cuts, nor the tremendous amount of thought that’s gone into his work, only the lack of warmth.