The hedonistic 1970s and 1980s are in full effect on fashion’s mood board right now—particularly at Calvin Klein fall 2026, where the Roman creative director Veronica Leoni unveiled her new collection during New York Fashion Week. She sent out rolled-up muscle tees, big-shouldered coats, all kinds of reworked suiting, robe-inspired outerwear, and Grecian draped gowns with an emphasis on the body for her runway show, which was held at Hudson Yards. The brand transformed the minimal, windowed space with rows of neatly arranged cherry-red chairs, where models quickly wound around the sparse venue.
“We wanted to push that narcissistic kind of kink further in the collection,” Leoni told press immediately following the show. “I am really pushing the power dressing to be the body itself, and that becomes extremely powerful.” Through artful tailoring and succinct layering, minimal charcoal, ivory, and greige tones built out the next dynasty of what was once one of New York’s most influential brands.
Leoni also mentioned self-indulgences, perfectionism, obsession, and intimacy as key influences. “We wanted to explore that metaphor through the back and front in contrast, through that moment of allowing the body to emerge a little bit stronger and a little bit more in a provocative way.” The old references to Calvin Klein juxtaposed with a contemporary point of view for today served as the main foundation of the collection. “I think the old thing was like an obsessive, almost thrilling and dangerous quest for beauty,” Leoni said of her interpretation of early Calvin Klein.
Denim was key, based on a reinterpretation of an archival style that first walked the runway in 1976. It came through in the form of very structured Canadian tuxedos with a long, light olive-green coat and oversized shearling collar or monumental overcoats, all with maximal heft. Toward the end of the collection, toned biceps protruded from sleeveless suit vests that felt very ’80s. The elements of sensuality that underscored the collection were a direct reflection of the hero pieces that built the brand. “We cannot think without the underwear, we cannot live without the denim,” Leoni said. “There was rigor, there was sophistication that seems to come from another time, but it was already extremely evident like the cult of the body that is also extremely Calvin.”
The collection closed with a Studio 54-worthy metallic, tangerine draped gown. One of the other more ornately designed decadences included a sheer black maxi dress covered in a sea of black glittery mini pompoms. Pops of burgundy and scarlet red shined bright against the mostly neutral hued collection. The message here? Even the most minimal can indulge in a little bit of maximalism.
