Calvin Klein's creative director, Francisco Costa, was also at the Park Hyatt Ballroom Wednesday afternoon before he received Philadelphia Univeristy's Sprit of Design Award. The 37-year-old designer met with me yesterday at the swanky club, XIX where we talked about fashion, the economy, guts and the importance good staples in ones wardrobe. Costa was 19 when he moved to New York from Brazil. He didn't speak a word of English. Still, he enrolled in the Fashion Institute of Technology and studied abroad in Italy before landing a job at Oscar de la Renta. Costa took a job with Tom Ford before joining Calivin Klein in 2002. Since taking over at Calvin Klein, Costa has managed to dress up and stream line the American sportswear brand. His collections are known for clean lines fashioned from solid matte jersey fabrics that don't just flow fromt the body but gently caress it. "Fashion is moving into a new form minimalism. We are moving into a time when investment clothes are going to be key. We want simple and we want it to last a long time." I so agree, Mr. Costa! Our chat was pleasant and like Mark Badgley and James Mishka, he too wore a shrunken navy blue suit. But his suit was Calvin Klein, of course
