I wrote this piece several years ago for Heroine, Grailed’s woman’s site, but as Heroine has since closed I thought I would share it with you. It was Calvin Klein’s 81st birthday yesterday—this article revisits the early days of his fashion career and how he made minimalism his signature. Klein’s simple modernity can be seen in motion in this clip that I posted on Instagram a few months ago: “Calvin Klein showing three ‘feminine, sexy’ looks from his Spring/Summer 1978 collection—modeled by Jan, Kim Charlton, and Rosie Vela—on ‘The Mike Douglas Show,’ broadcast November 8, 1977.”