In a collection of Calvin Klein classic clothes for day and evening, designer Francisco Costa finds a way to show a collection that seems timeless. His dropped-waist dresses with kick pleats were reminiscent of the ’20s era. There were coat and dress combos, strapless styles in black and white and patterned pieces. In details, he featured geometric touches that were moving. For most of the collection, cuts were clean, silhouettes were sharply shaped and colors were neutral.
Designs by Francisco Costa for the Calvin Klein collection
Costa assumed the role of women’s creative director of Calvin Klein’s collection after working directly with Calvin Klein and other top design houses, including Gucci, Balmain Couture and Oscar de la Renta. He grew up in the Brazilian town of Guarani near Rio de Janeiro. His family has deep roots in fashion. His mother and father were developers and owners of a successful apparel business. His sister also pursued a fashion design career.
He arrived in New York City in the early 1990s, with aspirations of designing for a large house. While studying English, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where he earned an Idea Como/Young Designers of America Award for his fine talent. This recognition led him to participate in the FIT Study Abroad Program in Italy.
His fall show was very well received. Many of his simply styled yet sophisticated selections can work for today’s busy woman. For evening, there were also some nice choices. Black outfits were stunning. You could tell that he worked for the best designers while coming up. The fit in his looks was close to the body yet loose enough for movement. For day, lengths were just below or in the middle of the knee. Long lengths dominated his evening wear, although there were a few fabulous cocktail dresses.