He began his company, Calvin Klein Inc., back in 1968 though he would really reach notoriety in the late 70's and into the 80's. By 1981, it is reported that his annual income reached $8.5 million due in large part to the popularity of his designer jeans.

I remember the famous ads from the early 80's for Calvin Klein Jeans which starred a very young Brooke Shields. These were a bit controversial because they were sexually provocative and Shields was just 15 years old at the time. She would say such lines as "nothing comes between me and my Calvins" or "Momma said he's only interested in my Calvins."

Here is one of those famous television commercials for Calvin Klein Jeans from 1980:

Wow, does she look young, but she was just 15 years old after all. I thought since it was Calvin Klein's birthday, I would share this cool 80's memory. Hope you enjoyed it. I did not even want to get into the fragrance ads for Obsession or Eternity at this point, but those were just as controversial.

That will do it for this short issue of Kickin' it Old School. Thanks so much for reading. If you are interested in reading more of my 80's related issues, please click there for a summary. You can also click on the Archives in the upper left hand column or use the Google Search Box at the top of the right hand column to find any other issues you may have missed. If you are a fan of Kickin' it, please pass the word and let others know to give it a try (and of course come back often!). Peace and much love.

Check this out: A good friend of mine recently traveled over to Asia and took these pictures while in Indonesia. They make me laugh, but it really is not that funny since these are serious matters in that country.
The first picture is a welcome sign you would see as you exit the airplane and enter the airport. Notice it says "Death Penalty for Drug Traffickers!" Not that I would deal drugs anyways, but if I saw that sign it would definitely convince me to peddle my stuff elsewhere...

The second picture is advertising a special service offered. It is a little dark, so might be difficult to read. It is for Tourism Insurance! It covers you for "Personal accident & liability, including Sabotage & Terrorism (all risks)." Can you believe this??? The fact that this is necessary can't help the Indonesian tourism industry. Just in case I am abducted and/or taken hostage, I better get the insurance...

Quote of the day: "I don't dwell on success. Maybe that's one reason I'm successful." -Calvin Klein

Download this: I am going to pick a song from 1980 since that is when that Brooke Shields CK ad was from. Let's go with... "Into the Night" by Benny Mardones which has always been a favorite of mine. There is also an acoustic version available which I also recommend.