If Francisco Costa was in experimental mode on his Spring Calvin Klein runway, pre-fall found him thinking more practically. The effect was somewhat less intellectual, a whole lot more chic. Last season's dress-heavy lineup was replaced by a focus on tailoring, as the designer sent out a great hammered silk trench, a kimono coat with statement-making short sleeves, and a trim quilted jacket paired with knit pants tapering to the ankles (an effect achieved via zippers running up the backs of the calves). In place of Spring's sculptural geometries, Costa showed angular patchworks: The show closed with a pair of silk velvet dresses paneled for a vaguely Art Deco look. A green Lurex dress with shoulder pads out to there will take some nipping and tucking before it hits the sales floor, but otherwise these were clothes that could've stepped straight off the showroom runway and onto the street.
