Object: Jeans
Brand:
Calvin Klein
(American, founded 1968)
Designer:
Calvin Klein
(born 1942)
Date: 1979
Medium: Cotton denim
Country: USA
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. Calvin Klein
Object number: 80.94.2
DescriptionDark blue 100% cotton denim five pocket jeans with 39.5 cm bottoms; fly front zipper closing; cut 5125
Label Text:In 1978, Calvin Klein introduced a line of “designer” jeans. Based on the “European” style, they were high-waisted and tight. They featured a distinctive stitch pattern on the back pockets and a “Calvin Klein” label that branded the jeans as a status symbol. Klein became known for his overtly sexual advertising campaigns—most famously, those featuring fifteen-year-old Brooke Shields. When asked about his marketing approach, Klein declared, “Jeans are sex.”
In Collection(s)
Exhibitions:
- Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style
- Denim: Fashion’s Frontier