'It's about American horror and American beauty,' Raf Simons said of his Calvin Klein show. 'Fashion tries to hide the horror and embrace only beauty. But they are both a part of life. This collection is a celebration of that: a celebration of American life.'
Yet in amongst the reworked Carrie nightdresses (goodbye prom queen drenched in blood, hello delicate evening-wear), The Shining's Shelley Duvall-esque primary-coloured pinafores, Andy Warhol prints and lashings of Americana, it can be difficult to pin down exactly what style you'll be wearing/stealing from Calvin Klein come spring 2018.
That's where ELLE's editor, Anne-Marie Curtis, comes in. Of the show last night in New York, she said: 'it was a darker riff of last season, but for Spring/Summer the show was all about bright colours, all-American girls like Kaia Gerber and these incredible statement fringe bags that almost popped off the runway.'
Last February marked ex-Dior designer Raf Simons' debut show for the all-American brand. What with with his subtle subversion of workman denim, western shirts and tailored coats, it was widely considered a triumph, which is perhaps why Simons has picked up where he left off.
'This feeling of the American dream – and a more overt Americana – is obviously something he's really going to drill down into,' Curtis says. 'It wasn't just a one season thing – that's what Raf sees as the Calvin aesthetic.'
But her biggest takeaway?
These fifties-style circle skirts.
'This is a fun ELLE piece that I can see our readers wearing,' she says.
And despite horror movie imagery, the show 'really embraced American culture in a positive way. With the country being such a mess, it's a reminder of the things we love about American culture.'
Stay up to date with ELLE's fashion week coverage here.
