Michael Kors and Fantasia

October 16, 2006

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The thing that I love about Michael Kors is that, as funny and fun to watch as he is, he is pretty much always right. He makes sense. He's smart. It's one thing to be a reality show clowny judge, and it is quite another to have the chops to back that shit up. He does! People ask what Kors is like on the set, and he is exactly as you think he is. When we are on breaks, he's hanging out regaling all with stories about EVERYTHING from his mother to thread counts in sheets to fashion or what he did last night. And his clothes rule!

WELL, HELLO THERE.
Well, hello there....

AS WE'VE WATCHED THIS SERIES UNFOLD, ALL THESE UNKNOWN DESIGNERS BECOME HOUSEHOLD NAMES. WHEN DID YOU BECOME A HOUSEHOLD NAME?
Oh my. The funny thing is I think that my career in fashion has been more like an onion unpeeling. The first wave of recognition came amongst fashion insiders, and then that spreads from just being a NY thing to being a NY and LA thing, and then that unfolds and turns into a Dallas, Miami, and Chicago thing. What probably really broke me away from the pack was in the late 90s when I started designing for Celine (note kids: the line -- NOT Dion). That introduced me to an international audience that might have been unaware of what was going on in the States. What brought us to broader audience here was when we launched Michael and people who can't afford to buy a $2,000 dollar jacket could now buy stuff that's available to them where they can shop. You didn't have to go to Barneys or Bergdorf's to find me -- suddenly if you shopped at Macy's you could buy a piece of Michael Kors.

AM I CRAZY OR...
Yes, you're crazy.

RIGHT, I KNOW. OK, AM I CRAZY OR DO YOU LITERALLY ONLY WEAR A BLACK T-SHIRT AND SPORTCOAT? HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
That's my total uniform.... I have this strange thing that when I was a kid from the ages of 10 'til 20 I was the trendiest human being on the planet. Whatever was the trend, I wore it. I went to 5th grade dressed as Dr. Zhivago right into discomania, then tie dyes, and rock and roll insanity -- I did it all. In my early 20s when I went into business I was thinking about fashion for other people so much that I made a decision that I didn't want to think about it for myself. I love the idea that if you're consistent then you can still look at a picture and say what year is that from. Does the black jacket change over the years? Yeah. In the 80s it was one button, in the 90s it was three button, and now it's two button. The jean goes from dark rinse with a bootleg to torn up medium rinse and on and on. With a black T-shirt and the right tailoring and a pair of aviators it is so easy. Also, I don't like to think about or acknowledge the weather. I hate heavy winter clothes. I would rather spend my time thinking of dressing others than myself!

DID YOU HAVE A FAVORITE DRESS THIS SEASON?
My favorite dress this season was "For Nuts Only" from Laura.

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