New York Fashion Week: Calvin Klein

Hilary Alexander reports from New York fashion week

The 40th anniversary for Calvin Klein and the 5th anniversary for resident creative director Francisco Costa, perfect timing for the designer to show his minimalist skills polished to perfection.

	Simple cut: Francisco Costa's 5th collection for Klein was minimalist

No unnecessary seams, no extraneous detail, no flounce or frill was permitted to disturb the geometric perfection of these futuristic clothes, sculpted by laser; the precision and almost surgical skill of the collection enhanced by the clone-like models - all tall, lean, virtually devoid of make-up and with scraped back hair, walking robot-like around a pristine white gallery.

The fabrics were the best and most advanced high-technology can offer - polished, hammered cashmere, razored, geo-cut boiled wool, bonded wool and technical wool/silk crepe.

Words such as engineered, moulded and sculpted dominated the programme notes, suggesting hours spent in a laboratory, rather than an atelier.

But there was a quiet, dramatic beauty to these minimalist pieces, plain as paper and constructed with a minimum of seam.

Oft-times, simple pieces were laid one on top of the other like tectonic plates to create a sculpted dress or coat or dull metasl studs were flattened into the fabric.

Slate grey, navy and black reinforced the austerity, lightened occasionally by a cascade of Sunray pleats in metallic silk in burgundy, the same fabrics used for the one-shoulder or halter-neck evening gowns.