Mr. Kors was introduced to the audience of one thousand of DC’s most fashionable by Sheila Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television and CEO of Salamander Hospitality. As Ms. Johnson catalogued Mr. Kors illustrious accomplishments in the fashion industry none received more applause than his work with Project Runway! As he accepted the award, Mr. Kors responded to his long list of accomplishments by joking, “Not bad for an F.I.T. drop-out! Mmm, I probably shouldn’t tell anyone about that!” In his remarks, he shared with the students that, in his view, one of the most difficult, but most important, aspects of the design industry is the giving and receiving of criticism. He said that he tries to provide “criticism with a positive point of view” both in his own design house as well as on the set of Project Runway. He indicated that after 27 years in the industry the best advice he can give to young designers is constantly to learn from your work and from others’ assessments of your work, to give back, and to enjoy what you do because so few people have these same opportunities.
Following the runway show a small group joined Mr. Kors for an intimate meet and greet. He was quick to comment that Washington is not as “fashion stuffy” as we all think! He said that the DC fashion scene is known for its use of accessories – that women in DC wear the political “uniform” but add !POP! with shoes and handbags! I asked him if finding inspiration for his collections is easier or more difficult with experience. He responded that each stage of his career has offered him up different challenges. When he was young he thought that life could not possibly be any more difficult as he never had enough time or money! Now he says that the demands on his time are far more challenging and his business issues are multiplied ten-fold. When asked how he would approach designing a collection for the DC women he got a twinkle in his eye and responded with, “Oh there would have to be at least 3 different looks – the button-down power bitch look (including Condi Rice’s boots), the Jackie O heads to Middleburg for an afternoon of horsing around, and (with all the embassies in town) I would definitely have a preppie meets the Middle East look”….
The day ended with Mr. Kors judging the senior design students’ final portfolios. We only were allowed to hear his opening remarks to the students before his critique began. He joked, as he looked around the room at 20 very anxious students, that he didn’t understand why they we so nervous as they had four years to conceive and execute their designs when the designers on Project Runway only a day or sometimes hours! He related that during last season’s show they taped three episodes in five days! He then smiled and added, “Imagine Laura Bennett with 5 kids and one on the way!”
And then the jury began…...
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