Soft silhouettes

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Structure and seductiveness weave through ck Calvin Klein’s Fall 2009 collection.

KEVIN Carrigan looked relaxed in a pair of jeans and shirt for this interview, that belied the busy scheduled he had ahead of him. He had just arrived in Singapore and was preparing to showcase the ck Calvin Klein Fall 2009 collection in the evening that day in July.

In between, he was supposed to attend an interview with a few Asian journalists. Over late afternoon tea, Carrigan patiently handled questions from the Indonesian and Malaysian press.

‘The women we target are a little mysterious, with a bit of attitude,’ says Kevin Carrigan, creative director of ck Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein.

The creative director of ck Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein started off by describing the new Fall collection as “structured and well-researched, investment dressing at great prices”.

Carrigan, 44, said that due to the economic crisis, women look for investment pieces that are multi-functional and indulge less in emotional buys.

“In the last eight to 10 years, customers have also become extremely educated and smart. Women know what they want, they’ve been around and know what’s available. I like designing for such women, who also demand an item’s versatility. If they spend on investment pieces, they expect it to last,” said Carrigan, who has over 20 years’ experience as a designer.

Chunky funnel neck dress with pleated A-line skirt.

The collection, he added, exudes sexiness and confidence. “The women we target are a little mysterious, with a bit of an attitude. The collection is also about a return to seductiveness, desire and the celebration of the female form.”

Transparent hosiery and stockings with suspenders in the collection confirm this point. (For the first time, Calvin Klein’s underwear label is also launching the suspender belt.)

A dominant separate in the collection is the jacket, Carrigan’s personal favourite and area of expertise. Jackets and outerwear feature sharp faceted shoulders with nipped in waists. Lapels are either elongated with inverted notch details or completely absent.

“Jackets are such key pieces to own. I think it’s high time women invest in great jackets. There are so many wonderful dresses out there which you can wear with a beautiful, structured jacket,” said Carrigan.

He said smart, youthful jackets are very hard to find at midrange prices and the label aims to fill that gap.

One of the few strongcoloured creations, with faceted fold design

“My favourite is the leather jacket because it is so versatile,” said Carrigan, as he showed us promotional pictures of a three-quarter sleeve leather jacket with peplum. “You can wear this with a pencil skirt, dress or jeans, and it looks fabulous,” said the British-born designer.

The high waist also features prominently in the collection. Skirts are voluminous and vary in length from super-cropped to mid-calf.

Dresses and tops incorporate folds, with facets and strict pleats to add texture and form. For added texture, cutwork, beading and paillettes are applied.

“Leather is key this season,” said Carrigan. “The leather I’ve used with the jackets is super soft glove napa, so it’s very lightweight and soft. What I like about this leather is you can dress it up or down. It looks cool with denim or you can pair it with a dress or black wool pants,” he said.

At the core of the Fall collection is soft architecture and structured tailoring. “There are no hard lines, and it’s all about curvaceousness, closeness to the body and more defined designs, much like a (Constantin) Brancusi sculpture,” said Carrigan, referring to the famous Romanian sculptor.

This is a move away from Carrigan’s usual style, which has revolved around the relaxed, drape-effect and away-from-the-body looks.

“I love mixing structure with feminine (pieces), or with soft pants, denim or a soft dress,” he said.

Key looks in the women’s collection include the high-waisted pants paired with a textural wrap sweater, topped with a collarless coat in wool cashmere.

The wrap origami folded dress and the fabric mix tuxedo suit in wool cashmere, jersey and satin are also among the highlights.

In the men’s collection, two-button leather jackets with open, round-neck collars spell stylish and contemporary.

In general, outerwear is about refined details and hidden plackets. Military influence is present with a double belt trench and a zip reversible coat. Pants are slim, functional and have linear seaming while sweaters are modern and rich in texture.

Key looks include a chunky funnel neck sweater paired with slim, textured cotton pants and moulded scuba black leather boot.

Materials featured in the Fall collection are largely evening wear fabric with soft textures like silk, satin, charmeuse as well as structured fabrics like cashmere, felt and wool. The collection also incorporates new materials of embossed fabric and felt with raffia (which looks like embroidered leather).

Two pop colours featured in the otherwise neutral collection are magenta and teal.

“We have magenta and teal pants in silk and satin, which you can pair with a black tailored jacket and it looks great. It’s an unusual contrast for Calvin Klein, but it’s something new for me to be playing with this season,” said Carrigan, who holds a Master of Arts in Fashion Design from The Royal College of Art and Design in London.

The mention of a teal, two-piece suit may raise some eyebrows and take some getting used to. However, a teal, wide-collared dress with linear detailing is simple yet quite a stunner.

“When I use neutral colours like black or grey, I can create a much stronger silhouette but I love working with colours and go all out with strong colours,” said Carrigan, who personally prefers grey.

“I love any tone of grey,” he enthused. “Grey is a colour with so much emotion to it.”

Carrigan first joined Calvin Klein Inc in 1998 as design director for ck Calvin Klein women. In 2002, he was promoted to design director for ck Calvin Klein (men and women).

Soon after, he assumed his current position of creative director of ck Calvin Klein and Calvin Klein. (ck Calvin Klein is the bridge collection under Calvin Klein exclusive to Asia.)

Carrigan said his role as creative director is to stay constant every season yet bring something new to each collection.

“I don’t like to change my aesthetics but rather, evolve my aesthetics every season. CK has always had strong aesthetics and is not influenced by trends.”

Calvin Klein prides itself as a practical label that dresses the modern woman. It started in 1968 by designing and selling outer wear for women, which remains one of its strongholds till today.

Describing himself as a practical designer, Carrigan finds it interesting to influence the dress culture of different women in various cultures and shapes.

“The way I approach designing is to be constant and focus on the emotion. For example, this season, I want to create emotions that are mysterious and seductive through my designs.”

Choosing the right fabrics to create these emotions is Carrigan’s favourite part of the design process.

“A sketch means different things when we apply different fabrics to it. I also think it’s my strength to understand how fabric drapes and looks on a person,” he said.