A Really Clean Look

Critic's Pick: Calvin Klein's return to the runway.

The footwear at Calvin Klein’s return to the runway after 7 years.

A friend texted me on Friday night while I was walking to a dinner party: ‘what did you think about the CK show?’

My first thought was—urban camouflage. In a really, really clean sort of way. One that’s all about renewal and a blank slate at the office. Like when you first move to New York, and the world, and all its youthful promise, is your oyster.

Veronica Leoni’s debut collection, held at 205 West 39th Street, was a version of that dressed up world with a glimmer of athletic aesthetic—a word we love to hate, yet hate to love on here.

Amidst so much mess—the sheer prospect of turning Gaza into an American Copacabana; the DOGE firings; the ongoing implications of designer musical chairs—this collection cut through the clutter of quiet luxury. That room has exclusively been taken up by brands like The Row, Toteme, even Phoebe Philo’s Celine to a certain degree. All three brands, by the way, that shaped their narrative from the innovation spearheaded by Calvin Klein in the 1990’s. Women had arrived to the workforce, were climbing up the corporate latter in slingback pumps, and here was a slimmer silhouette than Donna Karan’s tailored suit of the 80’s. The effect was: simple, sexy and powerful.

Kendall Jenner at Calvin Klein.

It’s no wonder a large part of today’s culture is so obsessed with the clean aesthetic of the 90’s—Liz Tilberis’ elegant look channelled by Kate Moss, Patrick Demarchelier, and Linda Evangelista. With one cover for Harper’s Bazaar, Tilberis turned the concept of minimalism into elegance.

After all, the American executive’s power comes from selling oneself. And elegance in the 90’s did just that.

Sleek plaids, the autumnal trench coat, easy-peasy sweaters, coats for the Guggenheim, and skirt suit variations.

For her first solo debut, Leoni told the press, “I want to pick up from the day Mr. Klein last walked out the door”. But as critics have pointed out, nostalgia will only get you so far. Women don’t want to dress for the past; they want to dress for the future, no matter how up in the air the world may feel.

So why then, continue to send out scarves to match the coat as if to blend in to the wall? Or full pyjama looks that have already made the news? The recipe was there, and fully well executed. What was missing was the chef’s kiss.

Isn’t that what this is all about anyways? Taking the codes and twisting them with your own perspective to bring the brand forward from blandness?

So we were left with a collection that was mostly respectful of the brand’s past, and with ideas to mull over. Like ads, sometimes a reminder can be a good thing.

The backless strapless dress at Calvin Klein. Photo courtesy NYT.

It’s not uncommon for designers to first workout the chemistry problem, and then sharpen their knives to achieve success. Pieter Mulier really just achieved a collection that felt true to him at Alaïa, after 3 years at the label with the Guggenheim collection. He spent the first 2 years paying his respects to Azzedine, and creating a dialogue with his audience (the ballerina flat and the Teckel).

But not every designer is afforded a generous beginning. Sabato de Sarno was fired after only 1 year at Gucci, following a third-quarter drop in sales of 26% in 2024.

The power of The Row, who is currently valued at over €1 billion, is the strict minimalist aesthetic. And by approaching the design artistically, it keeps the gossip flowing. The high quality of the fabrics it uses is a new benchmark for the minimalist worldview. Texture is everything.

Texture, cocktail dresses, suiting, minimalist cuts, doses of color, and liquid metallics offered a glimpse of what’s to come at Calvin Klein.

Leoni’s texturized gold dress seemed to be outwardly scooped like freshly cut curls. It was basically begging to be touched. The pink strapless cocktail dress could be a chic daywear piece. The tailoring of the suits and the vibe overall was modern. Easy peasy for the office. Some of the liquid fabrics were cool in their idea; playing with metallics could form a very exciting part of a future collection! The last time metallics were truly big was when Karl Lagerfeld made them sexy and playful. Which is to say, the true measure of performance comes at the boutiques.

I took the temperature on what’s at stake for the commercial future of Calvin on the group chat.

ozy

, a reader, said he liked the black belted topcoat with large pockets (look 9). If 2025 is a good year to buy the basics, a great black coat is always a good investment.

However,

Lindsay Sword

said, “I would’ve loved to see Leoni build off Klein’s aesthetic, but incorporate how the brand has evolved for today; leaning into sexiness, the body, underwear, shape wear, and show us a new way of dressing”.

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What did you think about the Calvin Klein show?

xx

Kevin