If the minimalism of Francisco Costa s Spring show veered into sci-fi territory, Fall has come back to earth—and to the body. Whereas last season was all about soft, three-dimensional geometries, the focus now is on fabrics and texture. Costa opened with a black coat with an asymmetrical neckline and a crescent hem that was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle from wool and silk jacquard. He worked that paneling motif into a sleeveless sheath with slightly built-up shoulders, a bold flap jacket, and even a clingy knit mock turtleneck worn with a trim and neat pencil skirt.
Continuing on, his experiments with surface treatments produced a skirtsuit from a holey felted wool that looked like lace and a gorgeous one-shoulder dress (in a season full of them) with plissé detail trailing across the bust. A laser-cut velvet dress in sulfur—when Costa deviates from black or charcoal, it s for something that really pops—proved once and for all that minimalism doesn t have to mean masculine. Which gets back to the point about the body. These were rigorous, defined, precise clothes, but they were also sexy. Nicely done.
