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.”
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.”
Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue, September 1988
“I could not even guess how many black crewneck sweaters I have made over the years, how many white shirts, and how many sexy camel skirts. This [look] might be the sort of precursor to it all. That era was so much about this sort of working woman on the go. And the funny thing is, to me to this day, because I am such a New Yorker, and I am always thinking about travel and movement, I don’t know that I ever lost the love of that idea that you were moving, that you were on the go. I think that stays consistent. I love the headline: ‘Neo-classic Style.’ I think I’ve been described like that probably 20,000 times.”
Karen Mulder and Elaine Irwin, photographed by Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue, February 1991
“An explosion of Beverly Hills, South Beach, Palm Beach. Joyous! In a 45 year career I have very rarely done pastels. I always have a fear of things getting saccharine and feeling too sweet. And I like women to feel strong. But when I look at this picture, it’s so sharply tailored that there’s still a little toughness to it even though it’s sweet. It’s a little yin yang, which is always something that I love.”
Photographed by Arthur Elgort, Vogue, August 1997
“At the time, it was pantsuit, pantsuit, pantsuit, pantsuit. And not that I don’t like a pantsuit, you’ll see plenty of them in the show. But there was something about that terminology at the time that still bothers me: Women would say, ‘I have an event to go to and I need a dress.’ And I’d say, well, a dress doesn’t always have to be a dress, and a suit doesn’t have to be a suit. I think when we got that leggy at that moment, it really gave you the authority of tailoring with the sort of unabashed sex appeal of a dress.”
Maggie Rizer, photographed by Arthur Elgort, Vogue, November 1998
“When people think of Michael Kors, they think camel, they think gray, they think white. But if there’s a consistent line through the 45 years, there’s always shades of red. There’s something about red. It doesn’t matter what coloring you are; the minute you put it on, it makes you feel good. It pops, it jumps.”
Kristen McMenamy, photographed by David Sims, Vogue, August 2010
“A killer picture! The camel coat, but a demented camel coat, the white shirt, and on McMenamy with her silver hair. What I loved about the picture, I love how sharp it is, I love how graphic. My whole career, I’ve dressed women of every age, every size, every nationality, and I love seeing someone celebrated for having her natural gray hair and looking like an adult. She does not look like a teenager, but she’s still current, desirable. It doesn’t diminish her at all. That’s why that knocked me out.”
Rihanna, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, November 2012
“Back to red! As a movie buff, sometimes when I see a picture, even if I haven’t spoken to who shot it or who styled it, I think, wait a minute. I got a little movie tidbit here. To me, this picture reminds me of the classic picture of Jane Russell laying on the hay. Is Riri here the modern, strong, edgy pin-up? Yes, absolutely. But the dress is totally covered up.”
First lady Michelle Obama, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, April 2013
“For me, Mrs. Obama was really a game changer in every way. I had never dressed any first ladies. I think my clothes were too sleek. There were no gold buttons, there were no puff sleeves. When her first official portrait came out we had no idea that she would be wearing Michael Kors, a black sleeveless jersey dress. To me, it defined what modern elegance could be: timelessness, but at the same time timely. And this picture from Annie, to me, is one for the ages.”
Selena Gomez, photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, Vogue, April 2017
“Anyone who knows me knows I like to have a good time. I like to travel and I love hot weather. Rufus Wainwright actually sang live for this collection. He did his Judy Garland concert for us. And I wanted the whole show to be something that felt very upbeat and celebratory. I think it’s so tricky when we ride the roller coaster of current events and the news and what’s happening—how do we respond to it? I don’t think you can dig a hole and put your head in the hole, but at the same time, my job as a designer is to hopefully make you find some sense of optimism, that things can change, things can move forward. You can find some joy, you can find some strength.”
Olivia Wilde, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue, January 2022
“This collection, we showed it in Central Park at Tavern on the Green. I don’t want to sound like a Puritan but I never thought the day would come that like I would be comfortable saying, ‘okay, we’re going to open the show with a bra. Not a bralette, not a bandeau—a bra, literally a bra. What this show really represented for me was coming out of Covid. The nakedness on the streets was just a celebration of being out and about. And also: of people having a sense of confidence, quite honestly, that I had never seen in my career. If you asked me, what’s the greatest thing that’s happened in 45 years, it’s that women don’t give a hoot about what people tell them to do. They wear what makes them feel feel best, feel confident.”
Adut Akech, photographed by Sean Thomas, Vogue, March 2023
“The most important thing for me when we’re doing a fitting is to see how the model moves in the clothes. This explosion of silk fringe… the minute you put it on life’s a party, and why shouldn’t it be?
