The younger generations are seated for the dramatic stories from Gen X women who worked at Calvin Klein in the 90s.
Gen X women on TikTok are telling all about working at Calvin Klein in the 90s, and younger generations are rapt to hear the tales. In Feb. 2026, a slew of TikTok creators shared their experiences, including the look, feel, and expectations at the offices, the perks of the job, and the glamorous people they encountered, including Calvin himself.
One woman recalled how employees were to interact with Calvin while at work, "You were not to look at him, you weren't to speak to him... going up to him and having a conversation was really a really big no-no."
Strict rules aside, access to the clothes made it all worthwhile for the women. And the looks, not to mention the lore, still resonate with young people today.
After all these years, people of all ages are still coveting ever-iconic Calvin Klein pieces. The designers’ work remains culturally relevant among minimalists questing for the perfect basics. And social media’s fascination with tales from former Calvin staffers shows that even people too young to remember the period feel strong nostalgia for the 90s.
Gen Z dressed in Gen X’s vintage Calvin pieces
A mother-daughter duo racked up over a million views with a pair of videos from Feb. 18 and 19, 2026, that revealed what Kara Mendelson remembers, along with some vintage pieces, from her time at Calvin Klein in the late 90s (she just missed Carolyn Bessette by two years).
Mendelson’s daughter, Ella, modeled a camel hair skirt and a cashmere knit turtleneck with a silk-lined pony hair bag that looked just as relevant today as they did during the peak Calvin era.
Repainted the walls white “every single day”
TikToker Tracey Kane also worked at Calvin Klein in the late 90s. Kane described the famously stark and pristine aesthetic mandate in the Calvin Klein offices for posterity. “
The walls were white, white, white, and there was a painting crew there every single day to cover up any kind of scuff marks,” she remembered. “We had no personal items on our desks, like no pictures. If you received flowers as a gift, you were expected to bring them home that night. You couldn't leave them on your desk.”
Sounds brutal, but Kane said the perks made it all worthwhile. The former Calvin Klein employee said she and her colleagues were permitted to access the company’s latest line ahead of retailers at a fraction of the cost. “We were able to place orders, not a wholesale price, but a huge percentage off of wholesale price,” she said.
“So we were wearing these gorgeous collections… I couldn't afford this line, but we were able to because of these trunk shows.”
Kate Moss walked past her desk
Mary Beth Kelley wore a sweater from her Calvin days in clips shared on Feb. 17, 2026. The former fashion industry pro claimed Kate Moss once walked past her desk, and she actually worked on the same floor as Caroline Bessette while she worked at Calvin Klein.
Kelley set the record straight about Bessette’s reputation. "I think there's some people saying she was cold, she was aloof,” she said, “She could not have been nicer."
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