Can Raf Simons Reinvent Calvin Klein?

In a nondescript office building on West 39th Street, behind key-card-locked doors and a stack of nondisclosure agreements, Raf Simons is at work, rebuilding the house of Calvin Klein. Calvin Klein’s is a name so famous as to have earned pride of place on underwear bands the world over. Maybe yours. Mr. Klein was, in the words of The New York Times, a “pop star” and “the first American designer to become household-name famous.” That name is synonymous with American fashion design in the 20th century, part of a small, one-name pantheon that includes Ralph (Lauren), Donna (Karan) and Oscar (de la Renta). His forte was sportswear: easy, effortless clothes, later expanded to include blockbuster underwear and jeans. But you knew that. It was more than 30 years ago when a young Brooke Shields cooed that nothing comes between her and her Calvins. She did not need to specify which Calvin. Mr. Simons, though by no means unknown, is not Calvin. His name, Raf (rhymes with “laugh,” with a rolled Flemish R), is invoked with adoration in high-fashion circles. But even after a successful stint as the artistic director of Christian Dior, he has arrived in New York with less name recognition among the public. His task is to bring energy and excitement back to Calvin Klein — and back, by extension, to New York fashion. Read more at The New York Times.