"I've never been one to see women in ruffles and all kinds of fanciful apparel. To me it's just silly." -Calvin Klein
Hitting adulthood in the 1980s, Calvin Klein was everywhere. Well, his jeans were. There were Billboards of Brooke Shields wearing Calvin Klein Jeans and nothing else, and if you were offended by that, don't turn the television on!
Calvin Klein was born in New York City, The Bronx to be specific, on November 19, 1942. His father was a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine and his mother was born in the United States to Immigrants from what is Ukraine now. He was always interested in fashion. As a child, he taught himself how to sketch and how to sew. As a teenager, he went to The High School of Art and Design in Manhattan and then went on to the Fashion Institute of Technology but never graduated. Klein spent 5 years designing for other shops in New York.
In 1968 he and his childhood friend, Barry Schwartz, opened a clothing design company. He was inspired by the youth of New York City. Klein hired a seamstress to make a handful of coats and dresses to fill the racks of his dingy showroom. A rep. from Bonwit Teller visited and liked what they saw. Within weeks, Bonwit Teller purchased $50,000 worth of Calvin Klein's clothing. They displayed it in eight of their much-in-demand display windows.
After the infusion of cash from the Bonwit Teller purchase, Calvin started designing a line of sportswear.
The Baron de Gunzburg made Calvin Klein his protege. The Baron invited Calvin Klein to many social events held by New Yorks social elite and before long, Klein was highly regarded as a designer despite his lack of experience. This was all before he had even designed his first pair of jeans. At his first major showing at New York Fashion Week, his talent was widely recognized. Many considered him to be "the new Yves Saint Laurent" because he preferred clean lines.
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In the 1970s, Calvin Klein started working on the now-infamous jeans. They would gross over $200,000 the first week they were in stores!
That same year, he became the first designer to receive Outstanding Design in both Men's and Women's Wear from The Council of Fashion Designers Of America (CFDA) Award Show.
In 1983, he was put on the International Best Dressed List. He received awards from CFDA in 1981, 1983, and 1993. In 1991 he received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievements.
As for Klein's personal life, he has been married twice. The first time was in 1964 to
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Jayne Centre a textile designer. They have a daughter, Marci Klein, who is now a television producer.
His second marriage was in 1986 to his assistant Kelly Rector. They married while on a buying trip in Rome. They separated in 1996 and divorced in 2006 after 20 years of marriage.
After his second marriage ended, Calvin Klein did not enter into a serious relationship for several years however, he was very outspoken about his sexual identity or rather, lack thereof. He refused to say whether he was gay or straight. He didn't see why he should need to identify as one or the other.
In 2010 he had a relationship with a man for two years.
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He didn't have another serious relationship for four years. That relationship is the one that he is still in now in 2023.
Calvin Klein has scaled his business back to focus just on jeans and underwear. The couture part of his company has been shut down as the designer has aged. At 80, Calvin Klein wants to relax a little and enjoy life.
References
Description
English: Calvin Klein at the Vanity Fair party celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Tribeca Film Festival.
Date27 April 2011Source Own work
Author
David Shankbone (1974–)
Description
English: Brooke Shields at Naval Air Station, Pensacola in 1986.
Date7 May 1986Sourcehttp://www.defenseimagery.mil; VIRIN: DN-SC-87-03214AuthorPH1 Doty, U.S. NavyPermission
This file is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made as part of that person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, it is in the public domain in the United States.
I remember him best for his jeans but his other designs are lovely. The clean lines are flattering regardless of the lady's size.
Nary a ruffle in sight!
I made many Calvin Klein outfits back in the 80s/90s! Loved working with his patterns!
Interesting