’Tis the season for Michael Kors

HONG KONG — Little-known fact: Fashion designer Michael Kors likes to vacation in the Philippines — the beach fan has already spent New Year’s in Amanpulo, to be exact. While on holiday, Kors is strictly low-key, sans entourage, and enjoys people watching and talking to the locals.

It’s this abiding curiosity that’s spawned a more well-known fact: like his clients, Kors loves to jet-set around the world and is frequently inspired by his travels.

We clearly saw his inspiration in his latest collections, presented at The Space in Central Hong Kong, where international communications manager Katie Cline guided us through the holiday 2012 and resort 2013 lines.

This is the first time we’re seeing an actual Michael Kors collection, as only the diffusion line, Michael by Michael Kors (MMK), is currently available in the Philippines. Maybe that will change someday, though.

FIRST STOP: ISTANBUL

Kors’ inspiration for resort 2013 was Istanbul, Turkey, where his curious eye led him to notice a certain opulence mixed with a raw wearability in the way the locals dressed. This appealed to the Project Runway judge, who tends to favor the pull of opposites year after year. This season, therefore, it’s all about opulence mixed with minimalism — a crystal-encrusted gown cut from a really comfortable fabric, for example, or intricate embroidery on a simple black tunic dress.

Having visited Istanbul before, I saw the Turkish influence in the designer’s liberal gilding of the gowns, bags and shoes — which brought me back to the golden interior of the Hagia Sophia, and the rich cobalt hue reminiscent of Istanbul’s magnificent Blue Mosque.

Kors’ jewel-studded collars, cuffs and clutches hark back to the elaborate mosaics that adorn these mosques, and so do his exquisite Ikat-print dresses shot with gold.

According to Cline, accessories have always been key to achieving the Michael Kors chic-luxe look. Though intrigued by women who aren’t afraid to dress up during the day, or wear jewelry to a pool party or the beach, the designer always thinks back to his customer: the city woman on the go who needs functional, wearable clothes that she can throw into a suitcase and not have wrinkle. Thus, you won’t find overly complicated pieces here; just simple silhouettes in lush, supple fabrics like silk jersey that let the accessories shine — and do the important work of taking an outfit from day to night.

His ever-popular slim Samantha pant, for instance, makes another appearance as part of a turquoise green satin pajama ensemble: pair it with flip-flops and it’s right for day; switch to heels, add a crystal-beaded clutch and gold rock-pendant necklace and you’re set for evening.

It’s all about season-less dressing that can take you not only from day to night but also around the world with a simple change of jacket or accessories.

Bags and sandals in painted python — many of them generously sprinkled with faux gems — add glitz and color: Kors’ bestselling Gia bags have been rendered in striking blue ostrich and red python, while a platform slipper gets the luxe treatment in gold python and clear crystals.

GETTING PLAYFUL WITH PATTERN

For holiday 2012 Kors gets more playful with patterns. After taking pictures of the Beverly Hills Hotel pool, he digitized the prints and used them for the first time on his fabrics.

MMK for holiday is geared towards the party girl dressing up for those yuletide festivities, and it’s all about glitz and gold, with the option of being cozy (metallic sweaters that resemble chain mail are surprisingly soft to the touch; vests and neckpieces are covered in fur) or a bit more trendy (a miniskirt and skinny jeans are striped in gold sequins).

The second delivery is more about the girl who’s either going on vacay during the holidays or needs clothes to make her feel like she’s going on one, hence the florals and palm prints in pops of hot pink and green.

Scarves are really big in Kors’ third delivery: not just the item itself but in scarf prints, scarf dresses, and a jean pattern that harkens back to his iconic Hamilton chain. The New York-based company found that their customers really identified with having the MK logo on their clothing, so the designer felt that mixing the Hamilton chain with his play on scarves was a cool and interesting new way to do it. The nautical bent in color and trend also serves as a smooth transition to spring.

SNEAKER ATTACK

This is also the first season that Kors is highlighting — surprise, surprise — the sneaker. “People think that I think you should be in a heel, and that’s not the way it is,” he says. “You should be chic and comfortable in your own clothes, and something that really represents you. For a lot of women it’s the sneaker.”

The high-top sneaker is tricked out different ways in the holiday gift collection, in a few weeks MKK will launch a sneaker video campaign over social media channels, and the company promises to keep issuing designer sneaks every season hereafter.

In Hong Kong the brand currently has only a small collection store in The Peninsula hotel, but that may soon change. The company is eyeing rapid expansion to around 80 stores in Greater China.

Kors has also expanded his boutique on Madison Avenue in New York City, which is now the biggest store in the world offering the largest selection of MMK ready-to-wear. And customers have responded to the wider variety.

Here in the Philippines the first delivery of holiday 2012 should start in mid-November, and will last till January.

Kors says that when he stops being curious, that’s when he’ll leave the business, but as of right now he’s still paying close attention. I’m hoping that one day he’ll be inspired by the people and places of the Philippines.

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In the Philippines, Michael Kors is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Greenbelt 5, Rustan’s Makati, Power Plant Mall, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, and Newport Mall Resorts World.