Calvin Klein is stripping things back for Spring 2027, but under Veronica Leoni, minimalism doesn’t mean playing it safe.
For her latest collection as Creative Director, Leoni took Calvin Klein to New York’s Terminal Warehouse, placing the runway against the raw industrial backdrop of the 1891 building. Three floor sculptures by Walter De Maria cut through the space as models and guests moved alongside one another, while a Kid Harpoon-produced soundtrack featuring Laurie Anderson and Solange added another dimension to the show.
That stripped-back setting made sense for a collection built around reduction. Leoni continued to refine Calvin Klein’s distinctly American wardrobe, taking recognisable staples and pulling them apart through proportion, construction and movement. Coats became longer, waists tighter and tailoring sharper, while shirts, trousers, pencil skirts and slips were pared down to their essential forms.
Bias-cut dresses moved closely around the body, ultra-fine silk knits brought a lighter touch, and flashes of underwear appeared between layers. Even tailoring loosened up in places, with a slim three-button suit designed to carry the ease of a T-shirt sitting alongside broader jackets made for layering.
American sportswear remained firmly in the picture, too. Baseball shirts were elevated in silk cady and broken up with blocks of colour, while denim, leather and laser-cut suede introduced tougher textures. The palette started with Calvin Klein’s familiar black and white before punching through with scarlet, royal blue, bright yellow, cherry and citron. Elsewhere, a check informed by Georgia O’Keeffe’s wardrobe quietly connected the collection back to another corner of American visual culture.
Metal headbands and pointed scarves kept things clean around the body, while oversized bags arrived in both structured and softer shapes. A new triangular design, folded into an almost origami-like form, was among the collection’s more sculptural additions.
Spring 2027 ultimately saw Leoni continue shaping her own version of Calvin Klein. The house codes were all there, from sharp tailoring and underwear to denim and uncomplicated American staples, but instead of simply revisiting the archive, they were tightened, stretched and refined into something distinctly her own.
