Print is a rarity at Francisco Costa’s Calvin Klein, but after the surprise popularity of the florals on his spring runway, he tried a new one for Pre-Fall. A blurry animal print appeared on a glossy leather trench worn over an away-from-the-body dress in a slightly smaller version of the pattern. It was in the cat family, but about as far removed from the leopard print so beloved (read: overused) of fashion designers as can be.
As a rule, Costa eschewed the everyday here for the exaggerated. His trenches were no standard-issue fare but ultralightweight patent in a shade of nail polish nude or forest green pony hair. He took his earthy palette from the artist Barbara Hepworth whose work was the subject of a major retrospective at the Tate Britian earlier this year. The idea of skewing predictable pieces to the point of artful unpredictability held true elsewhere: Full trousers pooled generously at the floor below trainers, while V-neck sweaters dipped precipitously toward the navel. A woman wearing them would exude a laid-back, unbothered air more successfully than the one who sported a wool jacket tucked into matching pants. The results of that combination looked a tad bulky. The star of the lineup was a long shearling coat in that fuzzed-out animal print. Costa might consider making print a more regular part of his repertoire.
