It’s not every day you get to hear stories about New York in the ’70s and ’80s from someone who lived it alongside Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and Donna Karan. At the CFDA’s bi-annual membership meeting, Isaac Mizrahi sat down with Jeffrey Banks to discuss his book “Storyteller: Tales from a Fashion Insider,” and Banks did what he does best—tell the stories only a true fashion insider can.
The bi-annual membership meeting took place at the Michael Kors Building at God’s Love We Deliver, where CFDA members gathered for an afternoon of conversation and community, including Edmundo Castillo, Batsheva Hay, Gigi Burris O’Hara, Jonathan Cohen, Sam Edelman, Tom and Linda Platt, Diego Binetti, Gary Graham, Michelle Ochs and others.
Longtime friends and industry veterans, the two traced Banks’ path from a young designer with a sharp eye and sharper instincts to a keeper of fashion history. He explained the meaning behind the book’s title, recalling how the word “storyteller” once meant someone who embellished the truth.
“As a kid, ‘storyteller’ meant liar,” Banks said. “But over time, I realized what I was really doing was preserving the moments, people, and lessons that shaped me.”
He reflected on his mother, Eleanor, whose impeccable taste shaped his earliest memories, and on the places that helped him find his footing, most notably Bridges of Georgetown, the Virginia store he had practically memorized long before he worked there.
The conversation also spoke on Banks’ earliest industry relationships, including the first time he met Ralph Lauren while still in high school. The two connected instantly, bonding over the classic American style they both loved, and Mr. Lauren later told him that once he moved to New York for college, there would be a place for him on the team.
Banks ended up working for him during his Parsons years, but with a year of school left, he faced a choice. It meant stepping away from Ralph, a decision Ralph didn’t take lightly.
“Ralph was furious with me, but I just decided this is what I need to do. And I thought, if I’m as good as I think I am, he’ll hire me back eventually anyway.”
Not long after came a moment straight out of fashion folklore: Jeffrey was in class at Parsons when his professor walked in and said Calvin Klein was on the phone. Calvin had clearly heard the news.
“I hear you’re not working for Ralph,” Klein said, a detail Jeffrey joked was “catnip” for him, and invited him to lunch the next day where he offered him a role with enough flexibility to keep school first. It was the beginning of a working relationship built on trust, timing, and Calvin Klein’s belief in Jeffrey’s talent.
It was these kinds of stories — sharp, funny, and deeply personal — that reminded everyone why Jeffrey’s book holds such magic. The conversation wrapped with a book signing, where guests lined up to keep the storytelling going.
