Calvin Klein Collection Fall 2026 is Veronica Leoni’s most ambitious collection yet

Since its eponymous brand inception decades ago, Calvin Klein Collection — the more elevated tier of the namesake portfolio — has hosted one of fashion’s more diverse line-ups of Creative Directors. Following Calvin Klein’s sensual simplicity and understated luxury, and the Francisco Costa era that adhered closely to that blueprint, Raf Simons flipped the script entirely, adopting a narrative-first, spectacle-driven approach. In his wake, the brand was left to drift, untouched for eight years — that is, until Veronica Leoni blew the dust off the reins and commandeered the Calvin Klein Collection ship once again, leaving many to wonder which direction she would choose to steer it.

Her debut signalled a hard reset. Lines were clean, if not severe; decoration was scarce; palettes restrained; and above all, a powerful intellectual mood prevailed — one that honoured the shape, craft, and original vision of the house. Phew. What followed with her sophomore showcase, however, saw Leoni tentatively tip-toe into more experimental territory, revealing a softer, more poetic counterpoint to her opening statement. Oversized pom-poms, expanded proportions, and a looser dialogue with fabric emerged. Yet, the body and its form remained central — a principle she appeared determined not to abandon altogether, despite a clear shift in direction.

Her third showcase, Fall 2026, presented just last week, felt like her most ambitious to date — not in an unguided sense, but in interpretation. “This season was formed by an investigation of Calvin Klein’s strong history of iconography and a rigorous exploration of shape, craft and meaningful simplification,” Leoni said backstage. And boy, was there exploration. Where previous seasons clung to form-fitting, body-conscious silhouettes, Fall 2026 leaned decisively toward the conceptual. Drop-hem dresses arrived with neck-cape-cum-collars; outerwear encompassed daring red PVC and exaggerated fur; layering grew denser, and textures richer.

Not a single cinched waist or sleek, body-skimming shift was in sight. Instead, confident silhouettes and assertive volume dominated — clothes that provoked conversation rather than inviting immediate, ready-to-wear ease.

This may be precisely what Calvin Klein Collection needs. While many remain nostalgic for the stripped-back sensuality of the ’90s, Leoni appears less interested in recreating the past—more on interrogating it, expanding the brand’s minimalist legacy into something more architectural and arguably more in step with a fashion cycle that moves forward whether brands, and their fans, are ready or not.