There's been a great deal of deconstruction-reconstruction work going on this NYFW and also an overarching mood of sensuality, so if there was ever an appropriate moment for Francisco Costa to study the Calvin Klein slip dress in all its minutae, it's now.
So carefully did he look into this one iconic item that the spring/summer 2016 collection reads like an entire thesis on the makings of a brand classic - and a prediction of it's very promising future...
Costa experimented every which way he could and the result was a fluid dress to suit all: waifish Kate Moss circa '96 wannabes to busy girls on the go today.
Costa added (extra layers in different proportions and thicker utility straps instead of the spaghetti ones of the past), subtracted (lower backs or deeper V fronts to reveal more skin), inverted (many inside seams were now visible on the front) multiplied (amping up the shine on silk satins or by throwing sequins into the mix - this in eggshell white was front rower Zoe Kravitz's noticeable favourite) and decorated and accessorised (many of these wispy sheaths has medieval slim chains hang suspended like loose cages around the body).
Obviously frocks were at the core, but a spring girl needs layers - and a series of equally relaxed coats provided levels of coverage, from barely there chiffon through to suede. Hushed colours and quiet eastern florals made the entire thing very easy to imagine into existing closets. And official confirmation: the '90s trend still stands up.