“In New York, we get up and we push forward”: Michael Kors celebrates 45 years
From blizzard-appropriate coats to flying the flag for the city’s queer community, the designer taps into the pulse of New York City on his anniversary.
If legacies are measured by the marks you make, Michael Kors stood tall on his 45th anniversary. When you travel to New York City for the shows twice a year for half a lifetime, this designer becomes almost synonymous with your experience of the city. For over four decades, he’s woven himself into its tapestry and made a mark on the city that shaped him. Which, of course, “is pretty crazy, considering I’m 32!” as Kors snapped during a preview. His jubilee celebrations were embodied by the New York state of mind that epitomises his brand, and the American modernity that defines its aesthetics.
“I am a born and bred New Yorker. I am proud of this city. It’s where people come to discover themselves, to reinvent themselves, to find who they want to be. It’s about resilience and strength. Hopefully, what I design makes people feel stronger. It’s a crazy world. We need to find beauty and strength. We need both,” Kors said the day before his show, which was staged under the icicle-like chandeliers of the Metropolitan Opera House to a soundtrack that mixed Sia’s Chandelier with classical stage music as a nod to the passion for theatre that takes up most of Kors’ time off-duty.
Climbing the red carpet of the opera’s sweeping staircase, the collection encapsulated the American way of dressing – and dressing up – that his 45 years in the business have come to characterize. Every garment represented a tension between formal, casual and comfortable: tailored trousers morphed into ballroom trains, minimally-cut tops elongated into wafting strands of fabric, and the trains of actual dresses were nonchalantly carried over the arm. Every look was a celebration of formality and a riot against it, all at once. It was modern.
I am a born and bred New Yorker. I am proud of this city. It’s where people come to discover themselves, to reinvent themselves, to find who they want to be. It’s about resilience and strength. Hopefully, what I design makes people feel stronger.
MICHAEL KORS
“Forty-five years in, I still go to stores. I still do personal appearances. I still want to hear what people have to say, and I think sometimes women get confused. Women walk in and they say, ‘I need a dress. I have a party.’ Or, ‘I have a black-tie event. I need a gown.’ Well, I think that you have to open up your mind to what that means,” Kors said, explaining an approach that also filtered into silhouettes that were decidedly more daywear-focused. “I was crazed during the cold, watching people looking so boring,” he said, referring to the recent below-zero temperatures in New York City.
“It was freezing, but the reality is, in any city in the world, your coat is a calling card.” Treating outerwear almost as gowns, Kors paraded one glamorous winter coat after another, from sculptural pea coats to effervescent shearling constructions, which, “on a really crummy day, put a smile on your face.” The same New York spirit was invoked at a function following the show, which saw Rufus Wainwright bring his showmanship to a performance that felt much-needed in a week when the government pulled down the Pride flag that traditionally graces the Stonewall Monument on Sheridan Square.
“It’s sad that we have to see this,” Kors said the day before the show. “It’s criminal. And tomorrow, it will be raised. Because in New York, we get up and we push forward. We saw it after 9/11; we see it all the time.” Sure enough, two hours before the Michael Kors show, the city’s officials re-raised the Pride flag, cementing to the current American government – and anyone else who might need it – the inclusive values on which New York was built.
Forty-five years in, I still go to stores. I still do personal appearances. I still want to hear what people have to say.
MICHAEL KORS
The second album is the hardest. Get ready for fashion’s sophomore season The second album is the hardest. Get ready for fashion’s sophomore season
The second album is the hardest. Get ready for fashion’s sophomore season
Inside Alessandro Michele’s voyeuristic vision for Valentino Couture Inside Alessandro Michele’s voyeuristic vision for Valentino Couture
Inside Alessandro Michele’s voyeuristic vision for Valentino Couture
The King and I: In memory of the late Giorgio Armani The King and I: In memory of the late Giorgio Armani
The King and I: In memory of the late Giorgio Armani
Boys ‘N’ Bags Boys ‘N’ Bags
Boys ‘N’ Bags
Meet Nina Christen, the footwear designer behind a decade of viral fashion moments Meet Nina Christen, the footwear designer behind a decade of viral fashion moments
Meet Nina Christen, the footwear designer behind a decade of viral fashion moments
Hoyeon Jung looks to the future Hoyeon Jung looks to the future
Hoyeon Jung looks to the future
“Connecting with humanity is the most radical act”: Pierpaolo Piccioli on his debut collection for Balenciaga “Connecting with humanity is the most radical act”: Pierpaolo Piccioli on his debut collection for Balenciaga
“Connecting with humanity is the most radical act”: Pierpaolo Piccioli on his debut collection for Balenciaga
A tribute to British beauty, style and rebellion A tribute to British beauty, style and rebellion
