Michael Kors Wants You to Stop Following All Those Old Fashion Rules

Right after London Fashion Week had taken its final bow, Michael Kors and his muses (Martha Hunt, Soo Joo Park, Serayah McNeill, Edita Vilkeviciute) jet into town to fête the designer’s latest fragrance, Sexy Ruby, a modern chypre blend of rasberry, apricot, davana, and pepper. And even though Kors insists the party is his reason for coming to London, those close to him slyly suggest that the West End’s latest theatrical productions (including Follies and Ink) may have been motivation enough for the flight. In between high tea at Claridge’s and a beautiful party with London’s finest at the Tate Modern, we sat down with Michael to discuss his evolving view of “sexy,” the state of Fashion Week, and (of course) the revival of Will & Grace, starring his longtime friend, Debra Messing.

Michael with his Sexy Ruby muses. (From L—R: Martha Hunt; Edita Vilkeviciute; Soo Joo Park)

Phillip Picardi: First and foremost, what does sexy mean to the Michael Kors shopper?

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Michael Kors: I think sexy is when you really are unabashedly feeling powerful and confident. That's what sexy is to me, and I think to our customers it is, too. I don't think it necessarily means a tight dress. I don't think it means a stiletto heel. I don't think it means oozing cleavage. I think it just means, “I own this space.”

PP: Who's the sexiest person you've ever met?

MK: Helena Christensen. I mean, I've known her forever. Helena's sexiness is not just her physicality…there's something very throwaway about her. I mean, she'd put on an evening gown the same way she puts on a t-shirt. We did a shoot once with her not that long ago with Annie Leibovitz. It was the dead of summer and she came in from the country and it was really hot that day. She walked in and she was soaking, dripping wet and she had to put on this fabulous gown, and I said to her, “Calm down, we'll get you ready.” And she said, “No no no, I'm fine.” And she literally shook her head, put a little bit of lip gloss on, and popped the dress on hot and sweaty — and there was just that confidence about her.

From L—R, celebrities in Michael Kors: Helena Christensen, Kerry Washington, and Ashley Graham

PP: How has the Michael Kors portrayal of sexy changed throughout your career?

MK: Obviously, fashion changes all the time. We made skirts one season back in the nineties that were 12 inches long — they were literally placemats. When I was a younger designer, if you couldn’t wear a 12-inch skirt, you weren’t a part of the gang. Now that I'm more experienced and I've seen and done more, I've realized it's about having a variety of ways for women to express feeling sexy. In today's world, there's got to be the possibility that whether you're 16 or 65, a size zero or a size 20, there’s something that makes you feel confident. I think it's broader now in terms of how we approach it — that's what fashion is now. It’s not as prescriptive as it once was.

In today's world, there's got to be the possibility that whether you're 16 or 65, a size zero or a size 20, there’s something that makes you feel confident.

PP: I've read a lot of interviews with you, and in quite a few, the reporter would follow you into a dressing room at your store to help a customer that you had never met.

MK: I did it this morning.

PP: One of my favorite things is you apparently convinced the New York Times’ Philip Galanes’ mom into buying a camel coat because she never thought she could pull the color off. What are some of those “fashion rules” women follow that you wish would stop?

MK: Oh, God — redheads in red! I love a redhead in red. We had a model start crying once! She had gorgeous, natural red hair and we put her in a red dress, and she started crying. So I asked her, why are you crying? And she said, no red…I cannot wear red! I said no no no, it's great. It's like a blonde in yellow — I love a blonde in yellow. Even if someone told you when you were young, “Don't do that,” well, there's a way to do it, and I think the way to learn how is just by seeing photographs of yourself. Look at your Instagram feed — you can break out of the box.

PP: I know it's hard, but do you have one or three favorite moments of celebrity dressing throughout your career?

MK: Oh, my gosh. I mean, number one, we were in London and we were at the theater seeing Mary Poppins and of course, what are the only moments in today's world where you turn your phone off? My phone was off, and I turned it back on during intermission and I had a zillion emails and texts: Mrs. Obama wore a black Michael Kors jersey dress that we had made for her for her first official portrait. I was blown away, first by how beautiful she looked in the portrait, but also, by the fact that it was revolutionary. She wasn't in a colorful suit, she was showing her arms, it was jersey, she was comfortable, it was black, it was personal, and I knew it was this unbelievably strong moment. That would be probably number one.

Iconic Michael moments. At left, Michelle Obama wears a dress by the designer for her official portrait. At right, Bette Midler at the Tony Awards.

PP: And you didn't know that was coming?

MK: No, full surprise. We made the dress, but I had no idea what she wanted the dress for. Then, my whole life, I've always been a huge Bette Midler fan and then I became friendly with Bette, and now we've been friends for a very, very long time. Opening night of Hello, Dolly! was, for me, a bit of alchemy, to see that kind of talent in the right part at the right time all come together. When she got nominated for the Tony, I said to her, anything you need, please, we'd love to help. To be backstage and fit her in her Tony's gown in between matinee and evening performances of Hello, Dolly! was very special, and it all kind of came full circle for me.

My third would be putting Lil’ Kim and Sigourney Weaver in the same dress — the versatility of Michael Kors was definitely shown in that situation. I remember Kim wore this dress to a Michael Kors fashion show with boots and a fur bolero and she looked fabulous. And then Sigourney called me and said, I'm presenting at the Tony Awards and I want to wear brown, you always do something gorgeous in brown, do you have anything? I said, we have a great dress, but it's been worn before. She said, oh, I don't really care about that. Who wore it? I said, Lil’ Kim. She said, I doubt that we're going to look the same! She wore it with Fred Leighton jewelry and heels. I looked and I thought, you know what? I do my job well!

The versatility of Kors. Lil' Kim and Sigourney Weaver in the same exact Michael Kors gown.

PP: There's been much conversation about the state of New York Fashion Week — what is the purpose of a runway show, who should be doing them, how do you do them? More and more of our young designers, Proenza, Rodarte, Altuzarra headed to Paris with their ateliers. Given your experience with the CFDA, do you have anything to say about that? Is that something you ever would've considered in your career?

MK: Listen: I sort of feel like, been there, done that. I did Céline for six-and-a-half years, so I had the opportunity, and it was great to see what it was like to show in Europe. At the time, I’d finish New York, leave the next day, and get ready for Paris. Marc Jacobs experienced it, Alexander Wang experienced it, and Narciso Rodriguez has experienced it — it's not easy. Everyone has to do what's right for their business at that moment. The simple truth is, fashion is a living thing, so to expect things to stay status quo, that the same people are going to show in the same way at the same time, well, that's not what fashion is about. Who's new, who's coming up, who takes a break, who comes back — all of that makes it exciting. It's impossible to say what's right or what's wrong. For me, New York is not only where I grew up and where my business has been based, but New York is such a part of my ethos, and I feel like the city has been great to me, and I want to be great to the city. But, I don't know, you could show in Honolulu in today's world! There’s no such thing anymore as saying, “I'm an American designer, I'm a French designer, I'm a Japanese designer.” I think it's fluid, it's fashion.

From Paris to New York. At far left, a look from Michael Kors' tenure at Céline. Center and right, looks from his latest collection.

PP: If Michael Kors we're launching today, right now, what advice would you give him?

MK: I never say should've, could've or would've. The only advice, though…I've always believed that slow and steady wins the race. I didn't have a fashion show for the first three years, which I'm glad I didn't, because I wanted to make sure I had a solid base. When I was really young and I started, I was very impatient. As much as I believe in slow and steady, I remember I had a show — oh god, I must've been 25 — and everyone gets backstage after, they love the show, it was terrific, congratulations. And the next day I'm expecting double pages in all of the newspapers. I'm expecting the cover of everything! We got really nice write-ups and really nice reviews, but it wasn't covers, it wasn't double pages, and the reality is, I’d tell myself, you have to pay your dues. You're not ready for the cover and the double page. It takes time. If it happens too soon, I think regardless of whatever creative world you're in, it's a little scary.

PP: Building a beauty brand has obviously been a big undertaking for you. In terms of how you've helped women shop for clothes, what have you found you've been able to help with when it comes to beauty?

MK: I think the biggest thing is mood. I’d have to equate it to buying shoes. You can try the same dress on, and you can wear it with flip-flops, boots, pumps, or stiletto sandals, and somehow that and a change in hair will transform the dress totally and determine where you're going in it and what mood you're in. I have always been a designer who approaches fashion in a way that helps you find your mood. I'm also going to help you find your best self. We've approached beauty and fragrances the same way.

Fashion Friends: Michael poses with Debra Messing of "Will & Grace." (Getty Images)

PP: Will and Grace is coming back, and I know you've been a longtime friend of Debra's.

MK: No one is better. We need Will & Grace back. We need them. It's interesting, for the very first Fashion’s Night Out, we went to Macy's in Queens with Kate Hudson & Anna [Wintour]. Anna and I signed things in Queens at Macy's with Kate, and then I came into the city and we were launching a fragrance at the time called Very Hollywood, and Debra met me and we went to Macy's in Herald Square. Probably the fourth person in line was a young guy, probably 17 or 18, and then when he saw Debra he started crying to such a degree, the tears were rolling down his face. Debra’s hands started shaking. She said to me, oh my god, what do I do, what do I do? I said, he's obviously very excited to meet you! He looked at her and said, you changed my life — I mean, I get choked up — and you explained to my family that I could have a healthy, happy life. And so, we need them more than ever, and I know they’re gonna knock it out of the park. I can’t wait.

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