Gucci’s Tom Ford wasn’t the only designer to heed the siren song of the 1970s for Fall 1996, but few loved, and lived, the nightlife of that era better than Calvin Klein, a onetime Studio 54 regular. Having experienced the decade firsthand, Klein’s interest wasn’t in replicating the past, but in capturing its spirit for a new generation. Using jerseys and knits, he brought long-lined silhouettes, wraps, and separates up to date with asymmetry and with art. In their pure simplicity, pieced jersey dresses recalled the abstract paintings of the New York School of Abstract Expressionism.
