Raf Simons' American dream has turned into an American nightmare

<a href="https://www.lofficielsingapore.com/fashion/nyfw-calvin-klein-fall-2017-runway" target="_blank">Last season</a>, the designer looked to the country&#39;s youth for inspiration for his inaugural debut&nbsp;as Calvin Klein&#39;s chief creative officer. The result? A&nbsp;collection rife with classic American tropes &ndash; think sheriff&#39;s jackets, band uniforms, cowboy boots, and Wall Streets suits.&nbsp;It was eclectic, for sure; made to represent &quot;the coming together of different characters and different individuals, just like America itself&quot;.

Fast forward a couple of months. For Spring 2018, things have taken a decidedly more macarbe twist. Under&nbsp;Sterling Ruby&rsquo;s&nbsp;installation (complete with multicoloured fringe, metal buckets,&nbsp;and&nbsp;dangling axes),&nbsp;models strutted down the runway in iterations of Simons&#39; American Horror: floaty cotton nightgowns branded with black and white prints from Andy Warhol&rsquo;s &#39;Death and Disaster Series&#39;, rubber separates, and paint- (or perhaps blood) splattered vinyl raincoats straight out of American Pyscho.

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&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about American horror and American beauty.&nbsp;Fashion tries to hide the horror and embrace only beauty. But they are both a part of life. This collection is a celebration of that: a celebration of American life.&rdquo; &ndash; Raf Simons

But there is never any horror without beauty. Where there was darkness, there were also facets of the ever-inspiring American dream. Mid-century couture silhouettes rendered in industrial nylon and hand-painted leather; two-tone cowboy shirts paired with contrasting trousers or pencil skirts; and fringe (lots of multi-coloured fringe).&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about American horror and American beauty,&rdquo; said&nbsp;Simons. &ldquo;Fashion tries to hide the horror and embrace only beauty. But they are both a part of life. This collection is a celebration of that: a celebration of American life.&rdquo;

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Calvin Klein 205W39NYC Spring 2018

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Calvin Klein 205W39NYC Spring 2018

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