Supermodel’s girl is the new generation for Calvin Klein
IT WAS a case of history repeating itself as New York fashion week opened on Thursday evening. Kaia Gerber, the 16-year-old daughter of Cindy Crawford, followed in her supermodel mother’s footsteps as she made her catwalk debut at Calvin Klein, a label which Crawford herself walked for in the 80s and 90s.
Last February marked ex-dior designer Raf Simons’ debut show for the all-american brand, and he picked up where he left off, developing a new house style that is true to both designer and brand.
The show opened with a new take on the colour-block western shirts (this time in satin) and trouser combinations of Simons’s debut with Gerber wearing a black and mustard version of the look. There was more overt Americana too – literal rhinestone cowgirls, their boots bedazzled down the centre, and yards upon yards of fringing, though elevated past association with the rodeo kind – this stuff was lilac and coral and neon yellow, covering bags or comprising whole dresses swinging and bouncing as the models walked, brushing the knees of editors seated in the front row.
The vivid colours were echoed by Tory Burch at her show in the gardens of the Smithsonian Design Museum on New York’s Upper East Side.
“Black is easy, and colour isn’t,” admitted Burch backstage. “But colour elevates everything – and we need elevation right now!”
Are women becoming braver with colour and print, I asked her.
“I hope so! All of the models were saying they need more colour in their lives.”