Calvin Klein Fall Winter 2025-2026 New York. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo / Video Courtesy: Calvin Klein.

The Return of Calvin Klein: An 82-Year-Old Visionary Defines New York Style Once More

New York Fashion Week thrives on spectacle, on the audacity of newcomers and the grandiosity of industry titans. But this season, the moment belonged to a name that has never needed to shout for attention: Calvin Klein. The 82-year-old designer, a living legend in American fashion, returned to the front row of his namesake brand’s runway show—an event that, after six years of absence, proved more than a mere comeback. It was a reclamation of New York style, redefined once again under his watchful eye.

A Legacy Reawakened

Fashion’s obsession with nostalgia often leads to hollow imitations of past glory, but the Calvin Klein Collection’s return was anything but that. With Veronica Leoni at the creative helm, the show at the brand’s historic Garment District headquarters struck the perfect balance between heritage and the now. Leoni—a designer whose pedigree includes Jil Sander, Phoebe Philo’s Celine, and The Row—understood the assignment. She avoided the common trap of treating archives like museum pieces and instead channeled Klein’s ethos into the future.

Opening with razor-sharp tailoring reminiscent of the 1990s, the collection set the tone with dove-gray collarless jackets, crisp pencil skirts, structured trenches, and relaxed yet precise denim. The simplicity of Klein’s vision—a vision that once redefined American minimalism—was alive and well, yet subtly re-engineered with shifts in silhouette and proportion that made it feel thoroughly modern.

The collection’s color palette of black, white, cream, and grey—a stark contrast to the often-cluttered aesthetic of contemporary fashion—felt like a statement in itself. This wasn’t nostalgia; this was a quiet revolution in restraint.

Klein’s Presence, Leoni’s Vision

It’s rare to see a designer return to their brand’s orbit after decades of distance, but Klein’s presence at the show was nothing short of seismic. Kate Moss and Christy Turlington—supermodels who once epitomized the brand’s effortless sensuality—were there to greet him, as were a number of fashion insiders who hadn’t crossed paths with the designer since his retirement.

This was no ordinary runway spectacle—it was a moment. One that underscored Leoni’s understanding of Klein’s DNA. Her approach was instinctive rather than archival; instead of rehashing past hits, she drew from the underlying philosophy that made Calvin Klein what it was: an exercise in precision, modernity, and quiet confidence.

Her singular archival nod—a slingback ballerina flat plucked from Klein’s back catalog—was a subtle yet deliberate choice. No bombastic logo revivals, no Instagram-bait theatrics. Instead, the focus was on how clothes fall on the body, how they shape movement, how they define a moment.

Thom Browne’s Rallying Cry for American Fashion

This return wasn’t just about one brand—it was about New York reclaiming its place in the global fashion conversation. CFDA President Thom Browne set the tone for the week with an opening speech that doubled as a call to arms:

“We must remind the world why they should pay attention to these stories… to communicate them in our own ways… and nobody else’s.”

His words resonated in an industry often bogged down by algorithms, market research, and external pressures dictating creativity. But Klein’s return, and Leoni’s confident debut, stood as a testament to the power of singular vision.

The New American Minimalism?

Leoni’s debut wasn’t about shock value. It didn’t need to be. What set it apart was its intelligent recalibration of minimalism—an approach too often mistaken for sterility or commercial pragmatism. Instead, she injected just enough sensuality and tension into her silhouettes, avoiding the cold detachment that has plagued previous custodians of the Calvin Klein aesthetic.

In a world where maximalism and visual clutter dominate, Leoni’s refined, structured approach felt radical. It hinted at the possibility of a new era of American minimalism, one that doesn’t shy away from restraint but embraces it as a form of power.

Klein himself, always a man of few but impactful words, put it best after the show:

“For a start, it’s pretty extraordinary.”

And perhaps that’s all that needs to be said.

See All Looks Calvin Klein Fall Winter 2025-2026