Calvin Klein 205W39NYC S/S 2019 New York

[birdofparadise]

The show revealed an uneasy relationship between two tribes. Some of the graduates were 'scalped', their bloodied fringe serving as adornment. Some of the wetsuits were peeled back, also worn as war trophy. I saw the red/blue split backdrop of the runway as a clue to the unhappy marriage of the themes (and also perhaps to Raf's relationship to upper management?).

I wished the melding were more sophisticated, more nuanced. As it were the uneasy styling produced enough anxiety to keep it current.

 

[helmutnotdead]

Well, I kinda like it. It felt quite fresh and pretty dull at the same time. But somehow it wasn't that messy like the previous one. Kudos to Olivier this time.

 

[lewak]

Well, I kinda like it. It felt quite fresh and pretty dull at the same time. But somehow it wasn't that messy like the previous one. Kudos to Olivier this time.

Agreed, I kinda like it too. And Olivier Rizzo is ten levels above Katie Grand....

I do wish there was a little more CRAFT involved. This house had it in spades with Raf's predecessor

 

[gazebo]

Throw it all to the sharks!

 

[Deleted member 119799]

Raf Simons’ Latest Blockbuster Fizzles

cathy horyn isn't even raving for a change

 

[mepps]

Raf Simons’ Latest Blockbuster Fizzles

cathy horyn isn't even raving for a change

When you lose Cathy, you've lost the plot.

 

[gossiping]

loved it as always

thats all

 

[Ruito]

Personally, I love it. The bits on the skirt where it looks like they were bitten by sharks, I thought that was really nice.

 

[dodencebt]

I genuinely thought I opened the wrong live Twitter video last night.

 

[zoom]

Raf's Calvin is always an interesting sensory pleasure to watch. Pristine casting. Im a sucker for a scuba moment so i may be biased this season.

 

[ghostwriter10549]

Sorry Rafs, but this still a HUGE NO for me. The styling is intriguing sometimes, less pretensiuos than last season, however there is no much you can do when the clothes are THAT weak.

I really run from talk and speculate about the personal issues from the designers of this industry, but in this case, his "middle-age crises" or whatever, is showing up on his work. I mean, even the deconstructed silhouette fells very tired coming from him.

I will only save that bag that Mica was carrying. I love it.

 

[kenndale]

I’m irrationally bothered by the graduation hats.

Sarah Fraser looks like a sexy Steve Zissou.

 

[Deleted member 141309]

Raf Simons, Miuccia Prada and Marc Jacobs feel to me similar in a way that they are all trying very hard to remain themselves, try to be relevant and they all fail at it and it all looks like a big joke on us all.

 

[maxlinden]

It was very simple. I think from his previous seasons here he has learned a bit about the American market. I saw too many of his pieces on the sale rack. Press is great only when your selling. This collection seemed be a reflection of the sales because if you stripped away the styling and editorial pieces all you'll see are "Jaws" print and tie-dye tank, great knitwear, floral cocktail dresses, pleated skirts and safe accessories.

Loved "The Graduate" reference(one of my favorite movies)

I can see how people are a little underwhelmed, last season was brilliant but this what Calvin Klein is = safe American sportwear.

 

[guimon]

I like the first few looks and the references (graduation and scuba, although I don't see how these 2 things are related lol) and that's it.
The Prada/Miu Miu looking dresses are HIDEOUS. Some of the worst looks I have ever seen from CK. Can't believe Raf did that. It is that ugly.

Pre Spring was so amazing (imo). Simple, colorful, strong, with good old ''american'' references. That's the CK I wanted to see. But this is a letdowm and looks nothing like CK.

 

[MulletProof]

but this what Calvin Klein is = safe American sportwear.

Hm..

I've never seen that Calvin Klein or even associated sportswear with it. I can see some of that with secondary lines like jeans and underwear but not the mainline..?.. all the way back to the late 70s. It's always been about defining a very American type of elegance and sophistication, one that is not about being high-maintenance (as say, the ideal sold by Paris-based houses) but effortlessness and practicality and in a way being completely fine with women that have busy lives, that have a job in maybe finances, politics, fields that remain highly strict and leave little room for sartorial expression, so you can't be wildly experimental but it's still possible to elevate dress codes.. you see this on their advertisements, collections.. entire aesthetic.

I used to be a big fan of Raf's work in my teens and watched his growth at Jil Sander.. which remains for me a bit of a sad spectacle (seeing him entering that side of the field) and also one of the last truly exciting detours in fashion. Dior was worth watching even when you could see how difficult it was riding that gigantic machine.. but Calvin Klein.. it's a harsh reminder that too much cynicism and self aggrandizement is one toxic cocktail no matter how pure, aware or humble you are. There is a way of conceiving American culture in pretty much every collection he's shown that just feels so arrogant. I see the humor in "new" cultures, what you perceive and judge as superficial, how it must all start and end with its ever so vapid pop culture, capitalism at its most grotesque, that Ruscha, Baldessari, etc all the people you admire do it.. but no one makes stronger commentary about a culture than the people from it because their criticism is sustained on profound understanding and in most cases, love. Take that out of the equation and you're just reducing all the references you gathered to cartoons. Quick fix for that though: just get to know the people.. you'll see less frat boys, less Swedish-tourist-on-a-15-day-trip imagery and clichés and more of what CK and Costa tried to convey: easiness, casualness, a celebration of its cities, the lifestyle of people in them, the pride people take in working, and not so much of that smug, ironic junk aimed at trendy teenagers.

 

[gazebo]

This took "literal" to a whole new level.
Trying hard to be Prada, and who in his right mind would want to be THAT??

 

[bennyboy]

a new Prada

 

[donyan]

but no one makes stronger commentary about a culture than the people from it because their criticism is sustained on profound understanding and in most cases, love. Take that out of the equation and you're just reducing all the references you gathered to cartoons. Quick fix for that though: just get to know the people.. you'll see less frat boys, less Swedish-tourist-on-a-15-day-trip imagery and clichés and more of what CK and Costa tried to convey: easiness, casualness, a celebration of its cities, the lifestyle of people in them, the pride people take in working, and not so much of that smug, ironic junk aimed at trendy teenagers.

this^. I've been at a complete loss as to what to say about this. I literally get none of it. There is nothing in the cuts, or the combinations, or in any of these garments that makes me sit up, react , or that makes my heart or spirit soar. It's just ..stuff.
Reading your comment made me realize exactly what I feel about this without being able to put it in words like you do so eloquently.
I've gone through it three times now, trying to understand but there's nothing here for me, just empty posturing. And I really used to love Raf, both his men's and Jil Sander.

 

[dior_couture1245]

Mullet totally hit the nail on the head here.

It’s a perfect description of the shortcomings of Raf’s Calvin. While I haven’t hated anything he’s done so far, and while I certainly prefer it to his abysmal Dior, it’s still a very difficult collection to love. There’s no heart here. To use symbols and icons of Americana is fine and all - but there’s no affection, no deeper understanding of why these icons became icons in the first place. Without an inherent sense of context, the symbols and imagery become meaningless and dry. They all end up looking like fairly gimmicky visual tricks. Any power the original references had are completely lost in translation.

He may be obsessed with movies here at Calvin, but there’s ultimately nothing cinematic about what Raf is making.