For Calvin Klein and Maxfield, a Very L.A. Love Story

Tracy Ellis Ross, Michelle RandolphJason Shawn Weiss/BFA.com

On Tuesday night, a small but well-dressed crowd gathered at Calvin Klein and Maxfield, the beloved Melrose Place concept store, to celebrate their spring/summer collections. It’s been a big and busy week for fashion and pop culture between the Cannes Film Festival and Cruise shows across the country, but creative director Veronica Leoni has quietly rebuilt one of America’s most iconic brands with a characteristically low profile.

To commemorate the month-long partnership between Calvin Klein Collection and Maxfield, the party was held with cocktails and dinner at Chateau Marmont’s beloved Bungalow 1. Guests including Tracee Ellis Ross, Jodie Turner-Smith, Michelle Randolph, as well as the soon-to-be-pregnant Gia Coppola and Honor Titus dined on Mediterranean sea bass and steak fries on a candlelit long table filled with purple spider orchids; a departure from the founding designer’s famous preference for only white flowers.

The collection at the start of the festivities was striking: Ellis Ross wore an oversized pom-pom with aplomb, Turner-Smith opted for a peek-a-boo bra under a scoop-neck blazer, and Coppola opted for a green kimono jacket.

In between sessions, Leonie talks about her behind-the-scenes story and recent highlights. Whether she had a plan or not, she was the beneficiary of it all. love story The show’s depiction of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy’s formative years working at Calvin Klein brought a whole new audience back to the archives and directly to Maxfield. “It’s a lovely magnifying glass,” Lenny told Fashion. “It’s an educational tool for a generation that didn’t live through the 1990s. So for us, it’s great…all the benefits!”

Since Leoni took the helm, the partnership with Maxfield, one of the city’s most prestigious fashion institutions, has also played an important role in its development. Since launching in fall 2025, the retailer has been selling the Calvin Klein collection exclusively in Los Angeles, making it accessible to those seeking the laid-back glamor of New York style. Alas, Leonie is quick to point out that she designs with global muses in mind. “The series only becomes real when you see it in people,” she said. “I feel like everyone in Los Angeles is in their own personal space. It’s a city that lives in multiple bubbles, and people find their own dress occasions.”