This article chronicles the life and career of Kelly Rector, highlighting her pivotal role in the success of the Calvin Klein brand and her subsequent evolution as a designer, photographer, author, and artist. It covers her early career, her relationship with Calvin Klein, her contributions to the brand's iconic designs, and her diverse creative pursuits after their divorce.
Kelly studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She began working as a design assistant at Ralph Lauren, and was turned down after her first job interview at Calvin Klein .
The two met again one night at Studio 54, and the next morning, Kelly got a call from Calvin to let her know she'd start work the next day. In 1981, Kelly Rector began working as a design assistant for Calvin Klein. She was 21 years old, and later said that her life changed when she met him: “When you fall in love with someone, all the rumors that you hear fall away. My whole life changed with Calvin,” she told Vanity Fair in 2008. “He would walk into the room, and it was just like the lights went on. The movie started every single day. I was so much more special when he came into the room.” Together with Kelly, Calvin Klein took his eponymous brand to the next level. She was the one who came up with the idea of adapting men's underwear for women. From the casual comment “there's something sexy about wearing your boyfriend's underwear” came one of the brand's best-sellers and iconic designs, generating $70 million in 1984. Kelly Rector became a true reflection of the Calvin Klein woman, one who encapsulated glamour and sophistication in a simple cashmere knit dress. The couple married in 1986 while on a business trip to Rome. She wore an ensemble of silk pencil skirt, matching blazer, and a lace bodice, designed by Calvin. They were married until 2006, when their divorce was made official, although the couple had separated 10 years earlier. But beyond being Calvin Klein's wife or his muse, Kelly now defines herself on her Instagram account's bio as a “designer, photographer, interior designer, author, ceramacist, and mother.” She has edited seven photography books. The first one, Pools, launched in 1992 at a party in New York where all the personalities of the moment were present. In 2015, she published a retrospective of her own photographs, many of which have been published in magazines such as Vogue and Interview. In an interview with Equestrian Living, she credited her parents with helping her develop her aesthetic sensibility. “I think both of my parents were quite stylish,” admits Kelly. “My dad was a film director, so he was quite creative, and mom was an antique dealer who collected art and antiques. She’s had many stores, so I think I got a lot of my art background by growing up with ‘50s and ‘60s furniture in the house, and maybe that inspired me for my modernism background. I was surrounded by the arts growing up, so yes, they definitely had an influence on me.” She inherited another of her great passions from her father: horseback riding. Kelly started riding horses when she was a little girl. When she was 5 years old, her father bought her a pony, and for many years she competed in local horse shows in Connecticut. She eventually quit riding after a bad fall. A year after finalizing her divorce with Calvin Klein, in 2007 she had her son Lukas through surrogacy, according to People. Kelly Klein still uses her married name 20 years post-divorce, and in September 2025, she attended Calvin Klein's runway show, the first time in nearly seven years that the brand showed in New York. The former couple appear to be on good terms still, and posed together at the show. Originally published in Vanity Fair Spain.
Calvin Klein Kelly Rector Fashion Design Underwear Design Biography
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