DORÉ

I was at a dinner in Greece when suddenly the music grew louder and Michael Kors started to break out in dance. Full on choreography.

I’ve always been very intrigued by Michael Kors. He is so many things simultaneously. A great designer, a great tv personality, a great businessman and also dabbles in philanthropic initiatives. I always look forward to his New York shows. I admire his relaxed, yet glamorous, take on style, which to me is so American. Big sweaters, flowy textures, sun-kissed skin. I just love it. He is hilarious on TV where he was a judge on Project Runway for 10 seasons. A great entertainer. And he is the head of a multibillion dollar brand that’s spread globally.

Oh, by the way. He was one of the first who embraced social media (before it became “cool”) and now has about 8 million followers on Instagram – talk about keeping up with your time! But he is also very personable, very present. Remembered my name after the first time he met me, years ago. Even after the mess of an after show, in the middle of crazy celebrities where I couldn’t even remember my own name.

All these reasons are why he’s been on the list of my dream interviews. When we heard he was launching his new fragrance, Wonderlust, I thought it could be the perfect moment to make him stop his whirlwind of a life for a second (well more, an hour) and answer all my questions…

[podcast_episode episode=”239717″ ]

On Michael Kors and the jet-set lifestyle…
When we think about life today, it is faster than ever before. We’re always traveling quickly, when we look at our phones, we’re traveling too quickly and it used to be that it was a New York thing or Tokyo, it was a big city thing. Now, I think people are living a modern take on the jet-set life, the kind of glamorous practical mix of things, which I’ve always loved, it makes more sense now than ever before.

On developing the message of his brand…
Michael:I’m pretty convinced that one of my jobs is to know what people want before they know themselves.
Garance: Like a medium?
Michael: Yeah, maybe you’re right! A style and fashion medium!

On mixing things up…
It used to be that to be that to be sophisticated, fashionable, and interesting, you had to be very wealthy, a certain age, and you had to live in a certain place. Well that is ridiculous. So I started thinking, why aren’t people able to mix things up? That’s how I mix things, I always have. I don’t think anything of wearing crocodile shoes with a t-shirt. Why would you treat these crocodile shoes so preciously?

On his fashion being timeless…
I asked a vintage store we love, “Why don’t you ever have any Michael Kors from the 80s?” She said “It’s all sitting in people’s closets! My store is filled with all the mistakes!”

On the power of fragrances….
Fragrance is the fastest way to put this exclamation point on how you feel or how you want to feel, and to finish things off. If you’re running out to the store and grabbing a lemon and some milk wearing track pants and a sweatshirt, if you put on the right fragrance, suddenly, you feel finished, you feel different. There’s a spontaneity when you think about being glamorous, a lot of people think it means being very formal and precious, and I wanted this to be when you’re a little bit playful, provocative in that you’re up for anything. You have your passport in your handbag and if someone said to you at a cocktail party, you know what, we’re leaving for Zanzibar, you want to go? And you say, fine, I’d love to go to Zanzibar, let’s go now!

On trying certain things and knowing they are not your calling…
I took acting lessons. I looked around and I thought, I can’t dance, I can’t sing, I’m in a room full of people who are all very talented and at the end of the day, the minute I would leave my acting class, as a teenager, all I wanted to do was go shopping. I just wanted to be surrounded by fashion. So, I tried things and I was self-aware enough to know that, you know what, you like it, but it’s not meant to be your calling.

On staying balanced…
I think fashion is like being a long distance runner. This isn’t just a quick sprint, so hold onto the baton, and my energy is up and my adrenaline is going, but then I know I have to collapse. The collapse has to be in nature because so much of my life is urban. I’m a New Yorker. I love the speed, I love big cities, I’m thrilled to be in Tokyo, I love Hong Kong, Paris knocks me out, London is great, but then, get me to the beach! I’ve learned to understand that I need to recharge.

On recharging…
I’m still a beach bum. I’ll always be a beach bum. The water. The minute I see the water. Also, I love a really, like bad biography. Like about something really juicy. Sometimes I think they could be how-to, or how not to live your life, so I love to read biographies.

On his philosophy…
I think really, at the end of the day, always stay curious. Always stay curious. You know, no matter what you’ve seen, where you’ve gone and who you’ve met, there’s always someplace new to see, someone new to meet, always somewhere new to go.