Why This Fashion Editor Is Packing Nothing but Calvin Klein Denim This Summer

By Emma Walsh
Published in Buying Guides

Here’s the thing about packing for vacation: you want to look like you tried, but you absolutely do not want to actually try. The ideal suitcase is a magic trick—a handful of pieces that work together, survive airport chaos, and somehow make you look like you belong at that beachside café or cobblestone dinner spot. And if there’s one item that makes or breaks a summer wardrobe, it’s denim.

So I went straight to someone who thinks about this for a living. Michaela Bushkin, Who What Wear’s luxury fashion director, has strong opinions on which jeans are worth the suitcase real estate. Her answer came back fast and without hesitation: Calvin Klein.

Not the trendiest brand. Not the most expensive. Just consistently, reliably, impressively good denim that holds up to travel, flatters every body, and never screams “I bought these yesterday.” Here’s why she’s packing them—and why you should too.

The Quality Question: Why Calvin Klein Denim Actually Lasts

Let’s be honest. Most denim these days is a gamble. You buy a pair, love them for three months, and then they stretch out, fade weirdly, or just give up entirely. Vacation is not the time for that kind of disappointment.

Calvin Klein takes a different approach. Their jeans are made from 100% cotton—no cheap blends that lose their shape after two wears. The construction is solid. The finishing is clean. These are pieces designed to withstand not just one summer but many summers. Every season. Every trend cycle. Every time you reach for them, they deliver.

Michaela puts it simply: “Calvin Klein’s premium, high-quality denim will make every vacation outfit look expensive.” And she’s right. Whether you pair their white denim with a simple tank and slim sneakers or dress up a wide-leg silhouette with a silk cami and kitten heels, the jeans do the heavy lifting. You don’t have to try so hard when the foundation is that solid.

The Fit Factor: Flattering Without Trying Too Hard

Here’s where Calvin Klein really separates from the pack. Michaela emphasizes that the brand’s entire denim range—jeans, skirts, shorts, jackets—comes in modern cuts that genuinely flatter every body. That’s not marketing speak. That’s a fashion director who has tried hundreds of pairs and knows what actually works.

The secret? Inseam options. Size range. Silhouettes that have been refined over decades rather than thrown together to chase a TikTok trend. Calvin Klein isn’t inventing anything new. They’re perfecting what already works.

Michaela has her personal favorites. The 90s Straight jeans ($99, currently $50) offer that classic, no-fuss leg that goes with everything from ballet flats to chunky sneakers. The Low Rise Baggy jeans ($129) bring a relaxed, effortless energy that’s perfect for days when you want to feel cool without trying. And for something with a little more sweetness, the 90s Mini Skirt ($99, currently $50) takes everything good about a classic pair of jeans and turns it into something unexpectedly feminine.

The Shorts Situation: Because Summer Is Hot

Not every vacation calls for full-length jeans. Sometimes you need shorts that actually look good—not the ones you grabbed from a drugstore on the way to the airport.

Calvin Klein’s 90s 6-Inch Denim Shorts ($89, currently $45) hit that sweet spot. Long enough to feel covered. Short enough to feel summery. A length that flatters without requiring a specific body type. And the Denim A-Line Shorts ($69, currently $35) offer something different—a slightly flared shape that feels a little more dressed up, a little more intentional, perfect for that beach bar dinner where shorts still feel appropriate.

The It-Girl Factor: Why Everyone Wants to Wear Calvin Klein

There’s something about Calvin Klein denim that just feels cool. Not cool in a chasing-trends way. Cool in a way that’s earned over decades. This is a heritage brand with actual cultural weight—the kind of label that celebrities, models, and fashion people have been reaching for since before TikTok existed.

Michaela notes this playfully: wearing Calvin Klein denim is a surefire way to get recognized as a fashion person. Not because you’re wearing anything flashy. Because you’re wearing something that signals taste without announcing it. The people who know, know. And on vacation, surrounded by strangers, there’s something quietly satisfying about that.

The Bottom Line

Packing for summer travel shouldn’t be stressful. You don’t need twelve pairs of jeans. You need one or two pairs that work overtime—that look expensive without being precious, that flatter without requiring shapewear, that survive being shoved into an overhead bin and still look good at dinner.

Calvin Klein delivers that. Every time. And honestly? At these prices—many styles are currently marked down significantly—there’s no reason to overthink it. Grab a pair of the 90s Straight. Throw in the denim shorts. Maybe that mini skirt if you’re feeling adventurous. Then zip up your suitcase and stop worrying.

Your vacation wardrobe just got a whole lot easier.