RUNWAY: Calvin Klein 205W39NYC SS18

For his sophomore effort, Raf Simons (and his right hand man, Pieter Mulier) traverse through American archetypes to settle upon pop culture a la Andy Warhol, the American southwest and horror films. It was quite a disparate array of inspirations but it made for an intriguing collection that offered covetable tees with Edie Sedgwick and Dennis Hopper's visages to picnic-ready quilts that harkened back to Simons' first collection for the now-renamed Calvin Klein 205W39NYC. Simons' take on minimalism is a stark contrast from his predecessors, the clean and often angular silhouettes are present but there's much in the way of patterns, patchwork and other....accoutrements (like the pom-pom accessories) on the clothes to make them in of itself part of the current pop culture.

Meanwhile western shirts got a revamp with plenty of color blocked iterations and slickers in plasticized fabrics offered a subversive and almost murderous vibe, like one the fictional benevolent serial killer Dexter Morgan might wear. In the end, it's quite striking how Simons has transformed Calvin Klein in his very short time at the helm, it has been one of the best and smoothest transitions in recent fashion history, one that did not come with a strong dose of bemoanment from the fashion cognoscenti.