The recent docuseries, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette, has shone a bright light on the influential figures who shaped the lives of the iconic couple. Among those prominently featured is Calvin Klein, the American fashion titan behind the eponymous label where Carolyn Bessette honed her craft before her fateful meeting with JFK Jr. While Klein, now 83, has been in a long-term relationship with former model Kevin Baker for the past decade, during the era depicted in the series, he was married to his second wife, Kelly Rector. This exploration delves into the life and loves of the legendary designer, including his two marriages.
Early Life and Aspirations
Born in the Bronx, New York, on November 19, 1942, Calvin Klein’s early life was steeped in influences that would later define his career. His father, an immigrant, ran a produce store, instilling in young Calvin a keen sense of business acumen and an eye for quality. Meanwhile, his grandmother’s work in a clothes alteration business sowed the seeds of his passion for fashion. His mother, too, possessed a strong appreciation for style, favouring classic beige tones and furs.
Recognising his artistic talent, Klein’s parents encouraged his pursuits in sketching and painting. He attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, but the solitary nature of an artist’s studio ultimately didn’t appeal to him. Instead, he turned his focus to the dynamic world of fashion, enrolling at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. After an initial six-month stint, he returned to complete his degree. His formal training was further augmented by an apprenticeship at a cloak-and-suit manufacturer, followed by five years as a designer in various New York establishments.
First Marriage: Jayne Centre and the Birth of a Brand
In 1964, at the age of 21, Klein married Jayne Centre, who was then 20. Both hailing from the Bronx, they had attended the same high school. While some accounts suggest they began dating during their school years, others place their romance’s start in college. Jayne went on to forge her own career as a textile designer.
The couple welcomed their daughter, Marci, in 1967. Marci would later become an Emmy-winning television producer, renowned for her work on the iconic sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and the sitcom 30 Rock. Reflecting on her childhood in a 2008 interview, Marci described her parents as “young parents from the Bronx” who lived in Queens when she was born. She recalled a bohemian household, with canvases scattered around and her father still painting. Their apartment, she noted, was unlike others, featuring white wood floors and all-white walls, reflecting their unconventional, artsy lifestyle.
It was during this period, in 1968, that Calvin Klein Limited was established, with the crucial financial backing of his childhood friend, Barry K. Schwartz. Schwartz’s $14,000 loan was the catalyst, and Klein, eager to create “medium priced clothes with a clean look,” embarked on designing coats. His inaugural Calvin Klein collection, featuring “youthful, understated coats and dresses,” quickly garnered attention, securing a buyer from the prestigious New York department store, Bonwit Teller. By September of the following year, his designs were featured in Vogue. His success continued to grow, culminating in the 1973 Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award for his 74-piece womenswear collection.
However, as Klein’s professional star ascended, his personal life faced challenges. He was dedicating 18-hour days to his work, often sleeping in his showroom. This intense dedication contributed to the dissolution of his marriage. He and Centre divorced in 1974. When asked about the reasons for their split, Klein simply stated, “We were kids. We grew in different directions.”
Brand Expansion and Iconic Marketing
Following his divorce, Klein poured his energy into expanding his brand. By 1977, the company’s turnover reached $42 million, a figure equivalent to over $224 million today. The brand diversified significantly, venturing into accessories like scarves, shoes, belts, furs, sunglasses, and even bed linen. Soon after, cosmetics and menswear were added to the product line, alongside the now-legendary tight-fitting denim jeans, which sold an astonishing 200,000 pairs in their first week.
Klein made a significant branding statement by incorporating a simple logo onto many of his designs. A watershed moment arrived in 1982 with the introduction of his pioneering men’s underwear line. Initially sold in packs of three all-white briefs, the marketing strategy was ingenious: to appeal to women, encouraging them to purchase the underwear for the men in their lives – be it boyfriends, husbands, or sons.
Second Marriage: Kelly Rector and a New Era
In 1981, Kelly Rector began her career at Calvin Klein as a design assistant. Having studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology, she had initially been turned down for a job at the company. However, a chance encounter with Klein at the legendary Studio 54 nightclub changed her trajectory. The very next morning, she received a call from Klein, inviting her to start work immediately.
Rector, then just 21, recounted to Vanity Fair in 2008 how her life was instantly transformed. “My whole life changed with Calvin,” she explained. “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. When you fall in love with someone, all the rumours that you hear fall away.”
The couple married in Rome in 1986 during a business trip. They continued to work and live together for the next decade. It is widely credited to Rector that the concept for the men’s-style underwear line for women originated.
Rector also plays a significant role in the new docuseries, Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette. Bessette was working for Calvin Klein when she first met John F. Kennedy Jr. in 1992, although the exact circumstances vary in different accounts. Rector shared with the biographer of the 2024 book, Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, that “John invited her to join his group at a gala dinner.” She added, “Sitting next to him was another woman that Carolyn either mistook as his date, or actually was his date.”
The series also revisits the brand’s groundbreaking advertising campaigns, featuring stars like Mark Wahlberg and Kate Moss, which followed in the wake of Brooke Shields’ iconic 1980 “nothing between me and my Calvins” advertisement. The series also touches upon the end of Klein and Rector’s marriage. They separated in 1996 but did not finalise their divorce until a decade later. Despite the separation, they have reportedly maintained a cordial relationship, even posing for photos together at New York Fashion Week in February 2025.
In 2002, Klein sold his brand to Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, now known as PVH Corp, which also owns the Tommy Hilfiger label. The following year, an incident at a basketball game, where Klein was seen grabbing a player during active play, led him to seek rehabilitation. After selling the business, Klein remained with the company for three years before departing permanently in 2006.
While Klein has never publicly identified his sexual orientation with a specific label, he indicated in the 2008 Vanity Fair article that he had experienced romantic relationships with both men and women.
Later Relationships and Legacy
In 2010, media reports began linking Klein with model Nicholas Gruber, who was 20 years old at the time. Their relationship garnered significant attention due to the considerable 48-year age difference. The romance concluded after two years and reportedly inspired the 2018 off-Broadway play Skintight. Gruber later faced legal troubles, being arrested in 2012 on charges including drug offences, firearms possession, identity theft, and forgery. He served a two-year prison sentence. Upon his release, he pursued legal action against his former landlord for disposing of his belongings. In 2024, Gruber stated he had been sober for three years and intended to write a book detailing his time with Klein.
Since 2016, Klein has been associated with another former model, Kevin Baker. They were first photographed together in India, and have since been seen on various red carpets. Baker, who is 46 years Klein’s junior, modelled in the early 2010s but appears to have since moved away from the industry. He largely maintains a private life, with paparazzi photographs of him and Klein typically taken when they are out and about, often in New York, where Klein owns a residence.
Klein, now 83, boasts a reported net worth exceeding AU$1 billion and owns properties in Long Island, Miami, and California. In November 2025, a viral video captured Klein stumbling before entering a New York building, with Baker, then 36, not immediately offering assistance, sparking public discussion.
The Calvin Klein brand continues to command attention, most recently highlighted by its portrayal in Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette and Dakota Johnson’s recent advertising campaign.
