The brand had a lot riding on Friday’s show, its first catwalk presentation for six and a half years, and the highlight of a New York fashion week schedule that has been light on big names as American fashion struggles to compete with European brands owned by the French conglomerates LVMH and Kering.
Calvin Klein’s first female creative director, Veronica Leoni, presented her debut collection on Friday, watched on by Kate Moss – the brand’s most famous face during the 1990s, when its billboard ads ruled the zeitgeist – Calvin Klein himself, 82, and Christy Turlington.
Little known outside fashion, Leoni – who is Italian and lives in Rome with her wife – has never led a major house, but has an impressive CV working among fashion’s most influential minimalists, including Jil Sander, The Row, and CELINE, under Phoebe Philo.
New York fashion week, which began on Thursday, has the unenviable task of bringing cheer and glamour to a fretful city reeling from the chaos of Donald Trump’s first weeks as president.
There were also more playful elements, including trompe-l’oeil modern monochrome ballgowns destined for awards season, pops of colour (a rose-pink, form-fitting, off-the-shoulder dress; a flowing tomato-red gown) and tiny animal-print clutch bags inspired by the silhouette of the CK One bottle.
