Michael Kors’ new store in Copley Place opened a week ago with a storefront that’s as bright, white and shiny as the first snow of winter. This snazzy emporium stands across from Neiman Marcus and Louis Vuitton in the high-end mall, forming a golden triangle of haute luxe shopping. Though Kors’ prices aren’t nearly so haute as Vuitton’s and its demographic skews younger, to 20- and 30-somethings.
Kors is a New York-based fashion vet who launched his own clothing line in the early 1980s. You may also know him as a judge on “Project Runway.” In the early ’00s, the company went mega with a full accessory line; everything from bags to watches to perfumes, such as the latest, high-velocity “Very Hollywood,” which launched last year.
The Copley store is a Michael Kors “lifestyle store,” which means that it houses a capsule selection of clothing and fills up with fragrance, accessories and shoes from the different collections. He uses variations of his name to delineate from casual wear to high fashion.
Whatever he does, Kors’ signature is a splash of glam and lots of shiny detailing, such as huge diamante studs and metallic trims. And, in what is surprisingly politically incorrect for the designer, lots of animal fur. Despite that anachronism, as the sleek black sequined shorts on one of the mannequins shows, Kors brings a spirit of youthful fun to his clothing. Very Miami. Very L.A. And now very Back Bay.
More Kors
The 2,706-square-foot Boston store is part of a substantial expansion by Michael Kors. By the spring of 2011, Michael Kors, Inc. expects to have approximately 100 stores in North America. Already, the more upscale Michael Kors Collection flagship stores, which house his full clothing lines, have locations in New York, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach and overseas in Milan and London.
