And while those cashmere jumpsuits are also a nod to the notion that Kors came of age, as he puts it, “in the beginning of the paparazzi era, with all those great Ron Galella photos of people in real life, of seeing Jackie Kennedy in her T-shirt and pants, of Lauren Hutton and Ali MacGraw,” he’s likewise passionate about their purpose. “I love a long, lean line, and the challenge of how do you give someone an extra six inches of leg,” he says. “That’s such a big part of who I am as a designer. And no matter what time I’m in, I’ve always known what I stood for: Every woman wants to look taller and leaner; everyone wants to look sexy but be comfortable. My customer insists on clothes that are versatile, indulgent and glamorous, with the kind of opposing idea that they’re also relaxed and easy. That’s ultimately Michael Kors.”
Looks from Kors’ Fall/Winter 2011 collection
LA: Michael Kors' Second Home
Next month Kors extends that ideal and his anniversary celebration with the opening of a 2,000-square-foot boutique on North Robertson. “A lot of people don’t realize that because my grandparents moved to LA when I was a teenager, and because my mom has lived there for years, I consider LA a second home,” says Kors, who was born and raised in New York. “People-watching is a big part of what inspires me and turns me on, and I think the ultimate spot for people-watching in LA is Robertson, because it’s one of the few places in the city where there’s a walking culture. You see everyone on Robertson—from teenagers cutting class and grande dames to the Hollywood set and tourists. It’s a fabulous mix of people.”
The store will be Kors’ 11th in the LA area and will be an amalgam of his three labels: the Michael Kors Collection, as well as the more lifestyle-influenced and lower-priced MICHAEL Michael Kors and KORS Michael Kors lines. “I think a lot of Hollywood will still deal with special-occasion and red-carpet clothes [on Rodeo],” he says. “This store is going to be a great place to grab and go; there will be collection pieces there, but it’s not meant to be about evening gowns. I want to offer things people can throw on and go out to dinner. It’s about a great dress or jacket and a lot of sweaters. People forget LA gets cold at night, so to me it’s a fabulous cashmere town and a great leather-jacket town.”
Not unlike that Paris boutique in March, a party likely will take place to commemorate the Robertson store’s opening. Three decades after founding his label, Kors has launched stores around the world (two stores in Istanbul recently opened their doors) but for him, it never gets old—that moment of experiencing the energy of people in a new store, and LA is far from an exception. “I’m consistently inspired by LA, and what the world thinks of as American style finds its roots here,” he says. “It’s laid-back and eclectic and all about mixing the seasons, and those are things I love and always find inspiring.”
All of which is to say: Michael Kors will no doubt once again be in the mood to dance.
