Nothing stands between Dakota Johnson and her Calvins…except more Calvin Klein. The actress stars in the brand’s new denim and underwear campaign. Photographed by Gordon von Steiner at a home in Topanga, California, the photographs capture Johnson lounging around the house in various states of undress. “It was very cold,” he recalls in a recent phone call. “There was a lot of good music, a lot of jokes, a lot of me walking around essentially naked and a lot of people avoiding eye contact with me.”
In the shoot, she actually wears two different pairs of jeans, and only the jeans, which are a reflection of her personal denim style. “I love baggy jeans because they just go together, and these are the perfect slouchy, baggy jeans to wear with a dressy top; what I do is fold up the waistband so I don’t have a belt and that looks good on me,” Dakota explains. “But if I feel like I’m going to make it today, I’ll wear a tighter, higher-waisted pair of jeans. It really depends on the time of the month, which I think most women can relate to.”
Although she is a denim aficionado, Dakota doesn’t live up to the “never wash your jeans, put them in the freezer” edict that so many obsessives swear by. “No, that’s disgusting. That’s absolutely disgusting,” he responds immediately when asked, laughing. “Also, do you have a freezer in your house? No. Only freezers kill bacteria. I’m a really clean girl and I’m going to throw those puppies in the washer every day, every damn day.” And before you ask, she’s also throwing the jeans in the dryer; After all, stretching them after washing is half the fun.
She’s also attracted to opposites when it comes to underwear. “The Calvin underwear that I really like right now are the boy shorts, because I sleep in them and then I can walk around the house in the morning and do things,” she reveals. “When I get home, I take my pants off, especially if it’s a hot day, so I’m in my underwear in my house all the time, that’s who I am.”
But of course his other personality is, to quote Ned Flanders, feeling like he’s not wearing anything. “I basically wear underwear made out of dental floss. I’m that person,” Dakota adds. “What Calvin also does… You feel like there’s nothing there, and that’s wonderful to me.” She thinks for a second. “Honestly, this is the best gig I’ve ever had. They really tick all my boxes.” Now she laughs. “In this world, I’m just trying to get my underwear boxes checked.”