Published
September 11, 2024
Michael Kors has perfect timing. When he planned the date for his spring/summer 2025 show, he could not have imagined that it would fall on the eve of the first presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The coincidence of the two events was a coincidence of fate for the designer, who has dressed Harris for several years and is acutely aware of the risks faced by female candidates in fashion.
“Is the election the new red carpet?” Kors joked to a group of foreign journalists at a press conference the day before the show. “It’s very difficult for women in politics to find a balance, especially if you love fashion. If you love it too much, they’ll say something, and if you don’t love it enough, they’ll say something, but we hope to continue to dress the vice president.”
After coming close to being the costume designer for Gwyneth Paltrow when she won her Oscar for Shakespeare in Love, Kors knew he shouldn’t bet on any future fashion opportunities.
“When I think of male politicians that we’ve seen over the years and thought they were well-dressed, we notice the person hoping for it, or we notice the impeccable tailoring,” Kors suggested, noting that President Obama’s wearing of a khaki suit on a hot summer day caused a stir in the press.
“No one has ever seen a president dress like this,” he said of Harris. “She doesn’t need to be so driven; she knows herself and what works for her.”
And while Kors’s city-meets-resort collection may have had a lot of trappings that might not be appropriate for a high-profile politician—like low-cut tops, shorts, halter tops, and sheer lace skirts—the designer showed a serious walk that had plenty to offer, even for a high-profile woman in any industry.
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of his deathD After a year of working with Italian artisans and in a nod to some of Kors’s favorite places on earth, like Capri, Positano or anywhere along the Amalfi Coast, the designer turned to handcrafts like weaving, leather fringing, intricate layered floral motifs and lace. Large rock sculptures also graced the runway, recalling the Italian coast.
“Everyone I know would want to live in a resort if they could. The upscale city and the resort atmosphere and attitude allow you to do both. You can either be more relaxed in the city or more upscale in the resort,” he suggests, adding, “People want to get away from the city.”
To highlight the handiwork, the designer decided to abandon the cheerful soundtrack he usually plays at his shows, and opt for something more serious and pathetic, a custom score by Sebastian Perrin. It was perhaps more in keeping with another of the show’s influences, the current “Ripley” movie, directed by Steven Zaillian and starring Andrew Scott and Dakota Fanning, which leans into Corus’s love of vintage, ’50s-style fashion and resort wear.
“The world is upside down everywhere. I don’t necessarily think everything was perfect during these other decades, but people want to feel that the romance is still there. Ripley, this time, is dark. Twenty-five years ago, she was perfect and polished. This time, they seemed like real people,” he added.
The black and white display format also enriched the collection.
“It’s a new way of using black. Then I found out that the show was originally shot in color for Showtime, but the director wanted it in black and white, so it was converted to Netflix. The images in different shots in different locations of the shoot in Ischia and Positano change to black and white versus color for a completely different perspective,” he explained. He also noted that another favorite inspiration, Herb Ritts, favored a color-free grayscale scheme in his work.
In fact, with the exception of a few palm and olive green pieces and a few browns, tans and navy blues, the collection was also mostly black and white, allowing the textures and other details to shine through. (Even the shoes and bags had extra textures and woven and raffia leather details, especially a new K-shaped handbag or a kitten-heeled sandal.)
As for Kamala’s next look at Kors, some interesting options might be a black and white belted tweed jacket and A-line skirt suit, an all-white pantsuit, or even a brown patterned off-the-shoulder cocktail dress or a belted sleeveless jacket worn with a long chiffon skirt for a formal evening event.
Kors has never been shy about expressing his political views, and was at the forefront of the recent Fashion for Our Future march.
“I wish the United States was like Europe, like Italy where you can vote on Sunday, and many countries where voting is mandatory by law like Australia,” he told the foreign audience at the conference. “Here in the United States, you have to register; you have to do it, especially young people who procrastinate.”
“We hope this reminds everyone of their right to democracy. For fashionistas, we are part of popular culture and no different from cinema, theatre or art. If you follow fashion and tend to procrastinate, you might think it’s time to sign up,” he suggested.
As the designer put it, the world is upside down. And between the American fashion giant and NBC, which moderated the Harris-Trump debate, hopefully the decision to register and vote will be easier than deciding which of Kors’s sexy, fun, retro-infused products to buy for spring.
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