In 1983, a then 21-year-old Tom Cruise made his mark on pop culture by sliding across a freshly waxed floor in nothing but crew socks and a button-down barely covering his tighty-whity boxer briefs. Now, over 40 years later, Greta Lee has picked up where he left off for the Calvin Klein Fall 2024 campaign.
Emulating the iconic scene from his breakout film Risky Business, Lee sweatily yet freshly faced traces through the lounge room of a New York City apartment. Set to The Go-Go’s energetic “We Got The Beat”, which replaces Bob Seger’s “Old Time Rock and Roll” as the soundtrack to the montage, Lee dances, glides and exercises her way through an average morning in her Calvins.
These everyday movements are captured by Mert Alas’ sunlit lens, bringing a fresh energy and palpable rhythm to the new collection. Emulating cult-classic 80s films, the Past Lives actress embraces a persona that is perpetually optimistic.
In her new breathable Modern Cotton Air underwear and lacy Sheer Marquisette bralette, Lee presents Manhattan as a playground worthy to stamp your footprint on. The tone of the campaign is fitting for a season dubbed by netizens as ubiquitously brat.
Rather than embodying the debaucherous essence of Charli XCX’s album, however, the Calvin Klein team took inspiration from the group of actors known as the Brat Pack (and recently immortalised in Andrew McCarthy’s documentary of the same name starring Demi Moore and Rob Lowe).
Of course, you don’t need to guess what Lee has going on down there, it’s proudly on display; the brand’s tonal logo designer in refreshed seasonal colours featuring a matte shine construction, timeless wardrobe essentials in sporty cuts, transeasonal denim staples to see you through the demure months ahead.
“Dressed almost exclusively in underwear, I tapped into this sense of confidence, empowerment and gratitude for my life, my family and my body,” Lee said of the campaign. “It was a radical and emotional experience for me, and I’m so proud of it.”
The lightness Lee brought to the campaign will continue to be explored through an extended campaign roll-out period. Later in the season, we’ll follow Calvin Klein’s dynamic roster of ambassadors in moments from sunrise to sunset, with the electricity of autumn in the city and architectural textures of the collection woven throughout.
As Jeremy Allen White’s steamy Spring 2024 campaign generated AUD$18.8 million dollars in media impact value within the first 48 hours of its release, it’s clear that Calvin Klein has solidified a winning formula with these releases. Nothing risky about this business, indeed.
Strip back to basics and watch the shoot, below.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.