Tyler and Anne Klein Part Ways : Fashion: Insiders say the Los Angeles designer and the New York-based firm could not agree on just who the ‘Anne Klein’ customer is.

The short but fruitful relationship between Los Angeles designer Richard Tyler and New York-based Anne Klein & Co. has come to an abrupt end, both parties announced Monday. In a joint statement they blamed the break-up on “differences pertaining to the future design direction of Anne Klein Collection Sportswear.”

Insiders say Tyler, who with his wife and partner Lisa Trafficante have a baby and new home in the Hollywood Hills, wants to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his own collection, which will include a menswear line scheduled for unveiling in New York next month.

The announcement comes on the heels of Tyler’s being named Best Designer of the Year by the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America for his eponymous collection, an award that would seem to ensure success apart from Anne Klein.

But in May, 1993, when Tyler was named to replace 18-year Anne Klein veteran Louis Dell’Olio as the company’s chief designer, many had never heard of him. Still, the Australian designer’s sexy, meticulously tailored suits were coveted by a cadre of Hollywood actresses, including Julia Roberts, Anjelica Huston and Nicole Kidman. Tyler seemed the perfect and adventurous choice to update the $800-million sportswear company’s stodgy image.

Over the course of the next three seasons, Tyler, 46, took the company from conservative to cutting-edge while continuing to produce his own line.

But some privately worried that he was taking the Anne Klein line too far, too fast.

Insiders say Tyler grew unhappy with the company’s interference in his work. There was a disagreement over who the “Anne Klein” customer was. The company’s vision of its customer was, in Tyler’s view, “a dinosaur,” said one associate.

In the beginning, though, Tyler was excited by the challenge of what he said was returning the house to its origins. While working on his first collection for Anne Klein, Tyler said he looked through the company’s archives to study Klein’s designs. “Basically, she made clothes for the working woman. And her jackets were unbelievable.”

So, according to critics, were Tyler’s meticulously tailored jackets for his short-lived Anne Klein collection. And at $900 they were a relative bargain, considering the Tyler-labeled jackets sell for closer to $2,000.

Tyler’s star rose in the fashion world. By the end of 1993 he was was named Best New Designer by the CFDA and his name was being spoken in the same breath as those of Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani.

There is no word yet on who will replace Tyler at Anne Klein.