Calvin Klein Collection Pre-Fall 2012

[Crying Diamonds]

NEW YORK, December 9, 2011

By Nicole Phelps

Francisco Costa has swapped Spring's see-through slipdresses and delicate lingerie for sturdier stuff. Wool felt, to be precise. His pre-fall collection seemed to be an exercise in making the somewhat rigid and certainly thick material sensuous. It sounds like an impossible challenge, but Costa made a success of it, and it comes down to a single element: the hourglass silhouette.

Designers up and down Manhattan have been talking about the waist this week, and Costa made it the focal point of his show. Coats, dresses, and the jackets of skirtsuits (there wasn't a pair of pants to be seen) came cinched with belts, or their backs were decorated with long, curving parallel seams. Pleats on full, A-line skirts echoed those seams and kept the hourglass idea going. There's something pleasingly perverse about a bustier dress in second-skin charcoal-colored wool felt, or a leather and wool bustier over a cashmere crewneck—they're just so unexpected. Felted wool coats were less of a surprise, but they displayed the same exacting attention to cut and fit. The collection's colors—a brown that was almost black, khaki, putty, and apricot—further served to accentuate Costa's trademark precision.

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[Crying Diamonds]

style.com

 

[Crying Diamonds]

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[Crying Diamonds]

It's nicely different like all of his pre-fall/resort collections, but I really don't like this one as much - the orange pleated jersey dress is awful.
It's very tailored, the jackets look as if they were cut as if they were to have shoulderpads, but don't - quite unusual.

 

[Squizree]

I like this more classic silhouette, it's a nice direction for Pre-Fall. But I despise what he's done with the sleeves.

 

[Marc10]

The silhouette and some of the fabrics strongly reminds me of Prada Fall 2009, but it's a very nice collection. I like the pleating of the skirts and how he combined wool with leather.

I don't think this is the entire collection is it?

 

[liberty33r1b]

sooo good, what a great collection!! pure sophistication

 

[Deleted member 7575]

reminds me of alaia

 

[Selfportraitgrl]

HQs (via Vogue)

 

[Selfportraitgrl]

continued - HQs (via Vogue)

 

[TianCouture]

Costa for Dior? I'm loving this Bar Suite like silhouette....especially in that tan leather jacket...

 

[LagerfeldBoy]

This is actually quite nice. After reading the review, I was a bit skeptical about Costa going sturdy this season, but I'm actually pleased how lovely this is. I love how simple and effortless that wool dress on Daria is in post #2.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

I love all of this but...

reminds me of alaia

this was exactly what I thought, especially when I got down to the last few dresses. I do love his subtle use of the rust color

 

[Squizree]

It looks a little like Miu Miu Fall 2007, especially those fuller skirts.

 

[IsabelMarantBoy]

I quite like this It's a little more experimental than what I've been seeing lately in the fashion circuit. Love the leather bustier over the sweater.

 

[mackos]

It looks a little like Miu Miu Fall 2007, especially those fuller skirts.

I thought of this one as well, but I remember I already saw some resemblances with this Miu Miu collection in one of Costa's previous pre-fall collection.

Really liking the silhouette he proposed, plus it's so nice not to see some obnoxious footwear he has been putting for few seasons.

 

[chloesaab]

in love with this collection, it is amazing

 

[GivenchyHomme]

The first three looks just scream Prada F/W09.10. The silhouette is nice and very wearable. I adore the perforated dress on Daga.

 

[agee]

I think that this is one of the best Calvin Klein collections in quite a while from a design standpoint (SS12 was also a step in the right direction) but the tailoring / craftmanship / fit is not quite impeccable, if that was more on point then this collection would be beyond awesome.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Absolutely agree with you about the design: It really is fantastic and extremely flattering on women. Love the unfussy and graphic lines. As others have mentioned, there are traces of Prada, Miu Miu and Alaia, but he's taken these influences and made them very Calvin Klein. I very much respect that.