NEW YORK, United States—American design royalty Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren brought New York Fashion Week to a triumphal close Thursday, offering English country chic and urban cool, before the grand finale by Marc Jacobs.
Lauren kicked off the last day before the fall/winter 2016 womenswear shows move to Europe with a collection blending country gentleman and cowboy dandy, crowned by liquid gold evening wear.
British actress Sienna Miller was guest of honor, dressed in black, and sat next to Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Lauren’s family for what is always one of the most popular shows of the week.
The 76-year-old self-taught designer, who has done so much to define American chic, sent down the runway a tweedy, masculine look for daywear—a meditation on taupe, truffle and mocha.
He made extensive use of plaid and checks with signature suiting that included loose-cut pants, blazers and trench coats finished off with men’s ties at the throat.
The suiting was lightened when styled with delicate cashmere knits, pleated silk crepe pants and silk shirts.
To the chic countryside look he added quintessential American cowboy-style belts, bootcut jeans and sturdy boots.
Liquid gold
His evening wear had its roots in a Victorian-era elegance, with frothy high-lace collars and black velvet, and a Prussian pigment printed coat that looked like a Romantic-era smoking jacket.
There was a stunning black velvet evening dress finished with oversized pleated white cuffs and a white ruffle at the neck worn by Illinois-born supermodel Karlie Kloss.
A black velvet cocktail dress was made similarly exquisite—embellished with tightly pleated black leather ruffle sleeves and a collar that defied gravity and made the outfit look like sculpture.
Lauren broke new ground by finishing the show with a mikado evening dress, its billowing skirts in his trademark style, but giving off the overall effect of liquid, glistening gold.
He fashioned the same material into a billowing skirt worn with a stretch black jersey turtleneck and black boots.
It was Lauren’s first collection since stepping down last November as chief executive of his global empire, although he remains chief creative officer.
In 2014, the Ralph Lauren Corporation rang up $7.6 billion in sales and Lauren ranks 74th on Forbes’ list of wealthiest Americans, with a personal fortune of $5.6 billion.
He is a household name thanks to his signature polo shirts that have become a leisure uniform of choice for the world’s rich and aspirational class.
His runway collections embody a “preppy” look that harks back to old-world European aristocracy but whose clean lines and simple elegance create a uniquely American look.
Animal magic
Francisco Costa, the Brazilian creative director at Calvin Klein used a sun-filled Tribeca loft to showcase New York cool—the look that defines the label and pioneers contemporary, urban fashion.
Added to the ubiquitous black were checks in white, blue and black with a smattering of dusty pink. Sharp suits were worn with low-cut V-neck slip blouses in silk and he followed a trend also seen on the catwalk at Vera Wang and Alexander Wang by using buckle and strap accessories.
There were large fur collars, another key trend of the season, and leather panels cut into skirts to create movement.
Plaids were mixed and matched—with different check patterns used on the two sleeves of a dress, a third plaid on the front and yet another on the back. Fur coats were chunky with textured panels.
In a slight break with the usual Calvin Klein look, Costa incorporated oversized tribal-style pendant necklaces and sewed large jewels onto the front of silk dresses. The models wore sensible loafer shoes.
There was also animal print in white and yellow, a tiger effect, as well as a leopard or dalmatian print style dress paired with a coat in a larger black and white animal print.
Jacobs will be the final show on Thursday evening as the style posse jets to Europe to continue the season in London, Paris and Milan.
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