House of Klein: Fashion, Controversy, and a Business Obsession - Throughout American fashion designer Calvin Klein’s 35-year career, he has been “dogged by rumors about his sexuality, illnesses, illicit drug use and shady business dealings,” writes New York Post fashion reporter Marsh, who presumably had a front-row seat. Nevertheless, this unauthorized book, which the author refers to as a “business biography,” offers little inside information about any of these issues as it tracks Klein and his partner Barry Schwartz’s success in creating and transforming Calvin Klein Inc. from a manufacturing company to a design, licensing and marketing firm, which in its last years was averaging earnings of about $3 billion annually. (The company was sold to Phillips-Van Heusen in early 2003.) Marsh presents her material about the company’s evolution in chronological order, exploring how it either tapped into or redirected American fashion trends over the past 30 years-including, of course, the placement of logos on everything from T-shirts to underwear. But she explains little about the man behind the initials-and even less about the people he interacted with. All the major players, in fact, are described in tabloid terms. Klein and Schwartz, for example, are repeatedly described as either the “scrappy” or “street-savvy” “duo from the Bronx.” Rapper Marky Mark, who was featured in Klein’s print advertisements for underwear and jeans, is “the boyish man.” And Klein foe Linda Wachner, former CEO of the Warnaco Group Inc. (which licensed Calvin Klein underwear) is described as “the ball-busting blonde.” Business readers looking for a quick history of the American fashion scene since 1970 may find this book appealing. However, general readers looking for lifestyles of the rich and famous will be disappointed.
“…your going to love the House of Klein…” (Harpers & Queen, September 2003)
“…it captures beautifully the long hours of hard work and the joy of success…” (Management Today, September 2003)
“…this book offers an informed, insider’s account of the defining moments of a fashion legends life…” (Luton News, 10 September 2003)
[the book] “reveals fashion’s bottom line”. (USA Today, September 29, 2003)
“…this investigation of the controversial New York designer focuses on the business dealings…” (Hot Stars, 11 October 2003)
This book describes the life and career of Calvin Klein, one of the more influential fashion designers in the last 30 years. The book is laid out in chronological order, beginning with Klein’s childhood, education, early career, and his recent status as a fashion heavyweight and pop icon.
The book focuses more on his career, and how the fashion industry as a whole has affected and was affected by him. For those looking for gossip about Klein or his associates, this book will not provide it. What it does provide is an inside glimpse of how the fashion industry works. Klein is unique in that he has been involved in just about every aspect of the Western fashion industry some time or another in his life; whether it be making designs, creating supply chains, maintaining an actual clothing store, running a fashion company, selecting models, putting together ad campaigns, dealing with media, etc.. As such, this book covers all these different aspects and shows the failures and successes of one man, Calvin Klein, in each of these sectors of the business.
The book also shows the conflicts between the big egos in fashion, how these conflicts play out, and how they affect employees of the fashion industry, and us the consumers. Last, the book gives a good idea of how money is divied up within the fashion world. Specifically, when someone buys an article of clothing at a store, that money gets divided among many different parties, and this book shows how that is done.
Overall, I am glad I read it. Nearly everyone in America is affected by the fashion industry, yet so few of us know anything about it. Reading this book helped changed that for me. I only give it three stars because for all the pluses of this book; I found it boring. Maybe I am just not interested in fashion.
This new detailed guide to learning the skills and techniques of drawing modern fashion and figure is also a rich reference source for a broad range of modern garments and accessories. Extensively illustrated, this introduction teaches by example, the power of drawing as a means of communication and expression and strives to show students how to perceive things in order to be able to draw them correctly. The first section is dedicated to drawing the human figure, while the second portion deals with how to draw a wide range of modern garments and accessories and the types of techniques used to render them convincingly and elegantly in different fabric designs and textures. This volume offers a complete presentation of proportions of the croquis, draping the figure, accessories, flats, and features an encyclopedia of details, how to draw textiles and real clothes, the art of illustration, and computers and fashion drawing. For designers, fashion professionals, teachers and students of fashion.
Giorgio Armani, the Italian fashion designer, has said in a newspaper interview that he was prepared to sell his fashion empire. 
