Christy Turlington in Marie Claire 1997

 

It was years ago when I first saw Calvin Klein collections. His designs spoke to me. That purity, those clean lines - so beautiful and unforgettable, they made an impact on my perception of fashion and style. I never knew much about his private life – the amount of information available in Russia back in the 1990s was very limited, but even if I'd heard the gossip and stories that surrounded his persona, it wouldn't change the way I saw this American designer...

 

The genius. One of a kind.

 

Leaning more about the man himself, as I collected materials for the fashion week dedicated to Calvin Klein, was a very interesting experience indeed. I didn’t expect to find out the facts that made the pages of newspapers and magazines. I’ve read stories where people couldn’t hide their bitterness towards Klein and interviews and reviews of pure love.

 

At the end, though, I decided to go with my gut feeling and show Calvin Klein the way I saw him.

 

For the true genius is never flawless and it is the flaws that make him human.

 

I admire the man. And I adore, wholeheartedly adore, his passion for fashion and design, his love for perfection and eye for detail and colour. I also feel that, whilst it was good to hear the good and the bad, I understood Kleins motives, behaviour and decisions whatever they were and despite all the criticism he was often showered with.

 

After all who are we to judge?

 

Lets begin the Calvin Klein week with an editorial from Marie Claire that is, in a way, symbolic. It is created by two women who were a part of the designer's life – Kelly Klein, Calvin’s second wife at the time, as a photographer, and Christy Turlington, the face of Calvin Klein, as a model. More on them later and for now, enjoy the beautiful images…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo source:  Marie Claire US January 1997

(photography: Kelly Klein)