Michael Kors had big plans for his 40th anniversary. The photos from his fall 2021 show look plenty glamorous—Shalom Harlow, Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Murphy, et al in sparkling jersey evening dresses—but it was a runway without an audience because of ongoing Covid lockdowns. Five years later, you can expect his 45th anniversary festivities, to be held at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center, to bring the drama. Ahead of the milestone occasion, the designer sat down to reminisce about his favorite Vogue images and reflect on a life in fashion. “We have to reflect the times we’re in, that’s the job of a designer, but at the same time, the connective thread over four-and-a-half decades is so there when you look at these pictures,” he said. “How do you be consistent and inconsistent at the same time? To me, that’s the magic of longevity.”
Vogue, December 1981
Michael Kors with models, photographed for Vogue, December 1981
“This was the first time I was in Vogue. It’s my first resort collection, which was entirely white and all one size. I was like, well, why do we need sizes? Everything will just be relaxed and easy. We did the shoot in my loft, which is—get ready for this combo: I lived in the back on a futon next to the rolling racks where we shipped the clothes to the stores, next to the sewing machines and the cutting tables. And this was done in the front, which was the living room/showroom. These were the shoes that I had in the showroom. I had, like, two pairs of shoes. There was no options. What I like about it, really, is there’s such joy in the picture. I mean, we were having a great time. There was none of this somberness that I think fashion sometimes gets so weighted down in. And the clothes are so sleek and streamlined that, quite honestly, if you change the models’ hair and you put newer shoes on, you know you’d be off to the races wearing the same thing now.”