I hoard an embarrassment of slinky, cleavage revealing frocks in my closet. But for a swish Holt Renfrew luncheon the other day with Michael Kors, the American master of modern luxury, I opted for one of his understated, grey cashmere sweater dresses: cut a few inches above the knee, short-sleeved and crew-necked.
While it's not the kind of piece I consider sexy, my style-savvy boyfriend was wowed by it, going on about the charm of its luxurious simplicity. Armed with new confidence in the low-key garment, I cinched it at the waist with an ultrawide black leather Michael Kors belt, donned opaque tights and Prada platforms and dashed out to conquer Bloor Street.
It's precisely this kind of "easy chic" that has made Michael Kors and his burgeoning brand into a household name. His offerings, both the high-end eponymous line and the more accessible Michael collection, ooze modernity and provide women of all ages with options that combine comfort and class, practicality and glamour, often in refreshingly luxurious ways.
This weekend, the third Michael Kors store opens in Canada, at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto (the other boutiques are in Vancouver and Montreal). To mark the event, I talked with Kors, whom I have known for two decades, about his work and style philosophy. One of the most articulate designers working today, he has always had a keen understanding of women - from social and psychological perspectives - and I'm convinced it's this awareness that ensures his collections are always wearable - and wanted.
It's not only your product women appreciate, but also your whole philosophy and sensibility. You intellectualize what you're doing in a way that's not just about putting out pretty dresses. Is this something that you take great pleasure from as well as creating the garments?
It's equally as exciting for me to think about, "Where is she going?" Can I make her feel comfortable in her own skin? How will she sit in it? How will it pack? Because the simple truth is you can have the most amazing garment or the most beautiful handbag or the most gorgeous shoes, but if you don't feel right in it, it's never going look fabulous. So all of the backstory is very important, it has to visually turn you on, excite you. But there's so much that goes into why we wear things and buy things. It's not just, "Oh, give me that dress." There's the language of fashion.
How do you think women have changed over the past couple decades?
They changed hugely, and are still changing all the time. First, the seasons are diminishing, even here in Canada. The customer travels so often now, that people want more seasonless clothing. They travel between climates. And people are more in shape than they have ever been, so I think the idea of "dressing your age" is a little passé .... Actually, I hate the idea of dressing your age.
Me, too.
I think dress your body, don't dress your age!
Totally, that's great to hear.
And our customer knows that. But we're also seeing young people now, even in their teens, who are very sophisticated. Actually, when we first met, there was really no fashion on television. I would do two TV interviews: you and Elsa Klensch, on CNN. And that was it. It's a whole different world today, where people have access online to the collections right after they happen, and it has ratcheted the sophistication level up. So we get a 17-year-old girl today who has very sophisticated taste. Therefore, there's better design available to more people than ever before.
And I would imagine this is a wonderfully challenging thing for a designer, to be able to converse with these sophisticated, savvy women on an intelligent level. It's not like you're talking down to them any more.
Oh, those days are gone. These women really know what they want. They know what's going on. The other thing is we're living in noisy times. There's so much information thrust at you. Today, you have to figure out how to swim in the fashion stream, and you have to kind of be a player.
Not only are the times noisy in terms of info, but there's this whole cacophony of style messages coming at us, and so much product out there. All these options can be dizzying for a lot of women. That's why it's important to have a strong brand identity.
When you think about it, there's too much info out there - too many clothes, bags, shoes, glasses. So truth is, when you sit down at my show, I certainly want you to be surprised. But I also want you to know where you are. I think that you have to have a way for busy people to say, "Here's my short list of designers who I know work for my life, for my body." So if you then think to yourself, "Michael Kors works for me, or Chanel," you're going to check out what they're up to, and that makes navigating this whole fashion insanity easier. Designers really have to have an idea of who they are, but also you want to see a change. It's fashion after all.
There are whispers about an impending recession, things drying up. And here you are, opening new stores. That's pretty optimistic, isn't it?
I think that if money becomes tight, the strong will survive and so will fashion that works for people's lives - that's not only special, but user-friendly. It's got to have both elements. I've been through the late eighties and I see that today people expect and want everything. You don't want to give up anything when you buy something: You want it to be new, but you want it to last. You want to feel sexy, but you want to feel sophisticated. You want something feminine, without being ridiculous. You want something youthful, without looking like teen. So all those things come into play and I think that regardless of what happens in the world economy, just like people love a great meal, or they love a great movie, fashion is like that too. When you put the right dress on, you're like, "I feel thinner, I feel great, I feel sexy. I'm ready to go!"
Michael Kors's style commandments
1) Dress for your body type, not necessarily your age.
2) Comfort is key. If something doesn't feel good, chances are you won't feel good in it, and it won't look good on you.
3) Even if your feet are killing you, don't ever complain out loud. There's something to be said for stoicism when it comes to great style.
4) High heels are divine, but if you can't walk properly in them, it's best not to wear them. They'll just look ridiculous on you.
5) Seasonless dressing is a hip concept: Mix your pieces up in bold and interesting ways, always looking forward to the season ahead.
6) Evening dresses don't have to be revealing to be sexy.
7) You don't have to be tall to wear dramatic clothing. Lots of dynamic pieces can look great on shorter women. You just have to have the courage to try them.
8) Celebrate sensuality by wearing luxurious fabrics that feel as good as they look.
9) Quality counts big time.
10) You're a star, baby! Dress the part.
Core Kors
Born
Aug. 9, 1959 in Long Island, N.Y.
Education
Studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York
Highlights
Started out at the age of 19, designing and merchandising a collection for renowned New York boutique Lothar's.
Formed his own label in 1981.
Named the first ever women's ready-to-wear designer and creative director for the French fashion house Celine in 1997.
Awarded the Elle/Cadillac Fashion Award for Excellence in 1995.
Received the Council of Fashion Designers of America's award for women's wear designer of the year in 1999.
Received the CFDA award for men's wear designer of the year in 2003.
Appears as a judge on Project Runway.