Michael Kors sees himself as a mood enhancer. It’s gloom and doom everywhere you turn these days, which makes him all the more determined to create joy. Kors finds his joy at the beach, so that was the backdrop and inspiration for his new collection. He booked Pier 17 on the Seaport to set the mood—and wouldn’t you know it?—it was a foggy morning, but artist Christina Zimpel’s colorful installations conjured visions of sunnier days. As a native of Perth, Australia, she knows a thing or two about the subject; her work was so infectious in ended up on some leather totes. The clothes’ vibe was similarly seaside and chill; think rash guard, not avant-garde.
The designer and his husband checked out Bora Bora and Tetiaroa earlier this year; Kors said it inspired the first underwater print of his 37-year career. Elsewhere, there were all sorts of nods to the bright days of summer: surf shirts and baja sweaters in cashmere, easy cotton dresses in juicy shades of lime and watermelon, and metallic brocades to wear bare-legged to dinner. For the color-averse, he did a white lace bell-bottom jumpsuit that he described as the love child of Julie Christie and Jane Birkin (what a vision!), and eveningwear that could double as swimwear if the mood struck.
At a preview, Kors showed off a pair of sky blue pinwheel corduroys inspired by the pair he picked up working his first sales job at Lothar’s. They didn’t appear to make it onto the runway today. Too bad! A little of that low-key earthiness would not have been remiss. Kors is a global business, but it’s his heartbeat that’s gotta keep it pumping. On that note, consider the canvas totes and cashmere beach-towel wraps stamped with the logo MK Beach Club. Back at the preview, he said that if he ever decided to branch out beyond fashion, he’d open a string of beach clubs at popular resort spots around the world, from Malibu to St. Tropez to Tamarama outside Sydney. It’s a fab idea.
