Calvin Klein

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Calvin Klein Limited was originally founded as a specialty coat shop inside Manhattan's luxurious York Hotel in 1968. The line was discovered by a vice president at Bonwit Teller, who invested in the young designer's merchandise on the spot. With major exposure on Fifth Avenue and ads in the New York Times, Calvin Klein quickly became a multimillion-dollar company. Initially, the brand mostly designed women's coats and two-piece suits, but it began to branch out into a more complete line of women's apparel by the early 1970s.

Diversification was Calvin Klein's key mission over the next few decades, and the brand ventured into menswear, fragrances, and jeans. In the '80s, the brand practically reinvented the American underwear market. After being the subject of multiple controversies toward the end of the 20th century, Calvin Klein was wholly acquired by PVH Corp. in 2002. The new parent company also manufactures major brands like Tommy Hilfiger, IZOD, and ARROW. Klein himself is still under contract to design apparel for the brand, but he no longer has exclusive control over its garments. The company continues to expand and diversify, and it is one of the top manufacturers of men's and women's specialty apparel in the world.

Women's Merchandise

Products

The women's apparel line from Calvin Klein covers practically every category you need to stock your wardrobe. Dresses are available in styles like popover dresses, fit-and-flare dresses, sheath dresses, sleeveless dresses, maxi dresses, and sweater dresses. Knits and tees include T-shirts, V-necks, tanks, camis, sheer tops, mesh tops, hoodies, and cardigans. You'll also find button-down shirts, henleys, blouses, tunics, and other options for semi-formal wear. The brand has long been committed to giving women chic options to wear to work, and it features a wide assortment of suits, blazers, jackets, and slacks. In addition to formal outerwear, you can also find functional outerwear like heavy winter coats, raincoats, bomber jackets, and trenches.

Jeans became one of Calvin Klein's top sellers in the '90s, and the company continues to design a number of denim options today. Choose among styles like skinny jeans, jeggings, boot cut jeans, straight cut jeans, capris, and more. For active women, you'll find a line of performance apparel that includes running tops, track jackets, leggings, yoga pants, and sports bras. Underwear has been another top-selling category for several decades. Calvin Klein bras include T-shirt bras, lace bras, racerback bras, bralettes, and more. Panties are available in cuts like bikinis, boyshorts, thongs, and hipsters. In terms of footwear, the brand makes pumps, boots, booties, sandals, and ballet flats. Non-apparel options include accessories like wallets, handbags, watches, jewelry, and sunglasses.

Swap.com's Rating of Calvin Klein

It can be difficult to find a brand that does several different things well, but Calvin Klein has earned a reputation for manufacturing quality apparel in a wide range of categories. The brand manages to exude style without ever crossing the line into clothing that will turn off shoppers. It also clearly respects modern women and caters to their unique needs. By offering options for businesswomen in addition to the wide range of casualwear, the brand establishes itself as a go-to for your complete wardrobe. Specialty categories like underwear and activewear also give you a number of options to express your femininity--but they are designed to be functional and comfortable. For its broad selection, we give Calvin Klein 5 stars out of 5.