Interview

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When Francisco Costa was tapped five years ago to become the creative director for women's wear at Calvin Klein, he assumed one of fashion's most intensely scrutinized posts. Having worked behind the scenes for more than 15 years as a designer with the likes of Oscar de la Renta and Tom Ford, Costa was suddenly forced to grow up fast in front of the most judgmental eyes in -fashion and he did, becoming known for a thoughtful, luxurious minimalism that has never lacked in sensuality. In 2006, he won the coveted CFDA award for Women's Wear Designer of the Year.

DAVID COLMAN: I have to start by asking you your sign.

FRANCISCO COSTA: Taurus. My birthday is May 10. I'm so Taurus, you would not even believe.

DC: What does that mean?

FC: All the Tauruses I know have this connection to the earth and the environment. We are very curious people, very loyal, very aware of and respectful of our surroundings. Also we're stubborn, but that's our way. We understand what we want, which is not bad.

DC: Have you ever been to a psychic?

FC: Yeah, 15 years ago. He told me that I was going to end up at Calvin Klein. I never told anybody. I was working at Oscar de la Renta at the time. It was bizarre. I would like to see this guy again, but I don't know how to find him.

DC: Where were you born?

FC: In Brazil. Southwest of Rio, in the small town of Guarani near the state of Minas.

DC: Do you miss Brazil?

FC: Miss Brazil?

DC: Are you Miss Brazil?

FC: I was last year, but then I had to surrender the crown. [laughs] I do go back to Brazil once a year. I miss my family.

DC: Who in your family do you look like?

FC: My father. He's more ethnic-looking. Dark hair. My mother was very tall, very Portuguese.

DC: Who do you take after?

FC: My mom. She was quite a character. Open-minded. It was a very small town, and she started her own business, manufacturing children's wear. She was very dynamic. Her death was like the umbilical cord being cut, you know? That's when I moved to America.

DC: How old were you?

FC: Twenty-two. I moved to New York and took classes at Hunter College-English as a second language. Then I went to FIT.

DC: What was your impression of American fashion at the time-specifically Calvin Klein?

FC: You thought about those Brooke Shields ads. I didn't know who Calvin was, really. But Brooke, we knew her from those incredible commercials-"There's nothing between me and my Calvins." Itchilled you to hear that on television. But I knew very little about American fashion then. I had no money, and Charivari was very educational to me. And Parachute. I was fascinated by those stores. I couldn't buy anything; I just went through the clothes. "How can I go to Area if I don't have this T-shirt?" You go through that when you get to a big city. I wasn't part of any scene. I wasn't a club kid. I wasn't an artist. I was just a foreigner, trying to soak it all up. I had quite a lot of fun.

DC: Mid-'80s in New York was an amazing time.

FC: It was fantastic. I remember my first Gay Pride parade in the city. Where I grew up was very sheltered, so when I got to the city, there was this freedom and so much happening. At the same time, there was this pressure of AIDS and everything else. New York is so different today.

DC: Oscar de la Renta was your first big break?

FC: I was with Bill Blass, and then I got a promotion to go to Oscar. The company that I worked for owned both. At Oscar, I started on the licensing program, and we got to travel to Japan and do bags, accessories, coats. Then, two years in, I started a line called Oscar de la Renta Pink Label, which was very much about what he did, but more affordable. It was very successful, so he said, "Come work for me in the studio." That's when I really got to know Oscar. It was incredible. I could never before say that I loved color or that I understood color. But Oscar opened up a side of my brain.