No one has ever mistaken Michael Kors for a pessimist, but especially now, when divisiveness is tearing at the fabric of America, he believes in the power of positivity. “As the world gets worse, it’s the only ammunition we have,” Kors said. Over the summer, he and his husband, Lance LePere, visited Ellis Island and learned about his immigrant grandparents’ arrival to the United States. “The experience made me feel more patriotic, more open,” he said. That rubbed off on the new collection. As ever, Kors made an exploration of American sportswear, giving it a ’40s slant because that was the last moment that the country felt united. “The world was in upheaval, and Americans rolled up their sleeves and got to work,” Kors said.
He staged the show at a warehouse in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where much of that World War II–era work got done. Jennifer Egan’s recent novel Manhattan Beach painted a vivid picture of New York in those years, when women went to work in droves, many for the first time. Kors reimagined the period in his characteristic upbeat and tony way. The palette was red, white, and blue, or primary bright, and dresses were sprinkled with lemon and cherry prints. Tailoring, always a strength chez Kors, had a can-do tenor, cut in classic tattersalls and menswear plaids with military details. Nicole Kidman, who sat front row alongside Kate Hudson and Yalitza Aparicio, seemed particularly taken by a neatly cut double-breasted navy romper with gold crystal pinstripes.
The trick with looking decades back into the past is finding techniques to renew the silhouettes for today. One way Kors went about it is by adding metal studding to various pieces—punk being the flip side of prep. As with the star-and-anchor embroideries, a little of that went a long way. The nipped waist, strong-shouldered dresses of the ’40s need little adjusting. They’re perennials, and the ones he showed today will sell like hotcakes. It doesn’t get more “now” than a statement tee. Kors cut his in cashmere (what else?), with the intarsia word hate crossed out on the front. To help him make his point, he hired the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (the third chorus this week) to sing Don McLean and Simon & Garfunkel hits. The crowd clapped along to “Love Train,” thankful for the uplift.
