A Quiet Revolution for Francisco Costa at Calvin Klein
In 2003, Francisco Costa directly succeeded Calvin Klein himself as the womenswear designer for Klein’s eponymous label. Now, after more than a decade in the position, the Brazilian designer and his design counterpart in menswear, Italo Zuccheli, will step down as whispered rumors indicate Raf Simons might be preparing to succeed them. Over the course of his tenure, Costa revitalized the minimalist tendencies and stark tailoring that defined his predecessor’s aesthetic. Yet from 2003 to 2016, Costa has slowly unraveled that first principle, incorporating bouclé textures, body jewelry, and a whole lot of patent leather into the label’s core pieces. Calvin Klein has always embraced workwear-inspired silhouettes, but under Costa’s guidance, it’s gradually been exaggerated — structural hips and boxy shoulders in Spring 2009 and 2014, long sleeves that get longer, loungewear finding a home amid power suits for Spring 2010 and 2016. It’s been a quiet revolution, but a revolution nevertheless at Costa’s Calvin Klein. See his greatest hits from the past 13 years, here.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2004. Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2005. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2005. Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images.
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Freja Beha Erichsen in Calvin Klein Fall 2006. Photo by Thomas Concordia/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2007. Photo by Thomas Concordia/WireImage.
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Suvi Koponen and Sasha Pivovarova in Calvin Klein Fall 2007. Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2008. Photo by Catwalking.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2008. Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2008. Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2009. Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2009. Photo by Randy Brooke/WireImage.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2009. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2010. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2010. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2010. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2011. Photo by Catwalking.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2011. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2012. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2013. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2013. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2013. Photo by Victor Virgile/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2014. Photo by Catwalking.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2014. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2014. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2015. Photo by Catwalking.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2015. Photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/FilmMagic.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2016. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Spring 2016. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2016. Photo by Getty Images.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2016. Photo by Antonio de Moraes Barros Filho/FilmMagic.
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Calvin Klein Fall 2016. Photo by Getty Images.
