Like most designers with any Fashion business nous, Michael Kors is a dedicated follower of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Weibo. This season, the award-winning designer is going the extra mile with the idea of surfing the NYFW trend for all things tech. The designer is launching a new digital initiative called Kors Collaborations, an ongoing series in which he hooks up with fellow creative talents across the cultural spectrum -- from musicians to artists to photographers.
The quarterly series debuts this week on DestinationKors.com. Part I, "Clairborne on Kors," will coincide with the designer's ready-to-wear show on Wednesday. "Clairborne on Kors" is a shoppable e-book by photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank. Swanson Frank, who received acclaim for her 2012 book of portraits, American Beauty, shot 11 gorgeous images of stylish and multi-faceted women in day and evening ready-to-wear looks from the Michael Kors Fall 2012 collection.
"Michael Kors and I have a similar aesthetic regarding fashion, sportswear and American beauty, " said Swanson Frank, who in addition to photographing also styled the portraits. "Like Michael, I like to play with contrasts in my work, balancing rustic and refined, preppy and bohemian, wardrobe and location."
The online photo portfolio includes fashion it girls like Vanessa Getty, Amanda Hearst and Alexis Swanson Traina in classic American settings from Napa Valley to the Hamptons.
"American Beauty struck a chord with me," says Michael Kors. "It's filled with gorgeous moments in the lives of effortlessly chic women. Their look defines what used to be thought of as a very American approach to style, but dressing in a way that is both comfortable and glamorous, sexy and sporty is now global."
The e-book will be christened with a party at the Michael Kors Madison Avenue flagship store during Fashion Week. The happy few in attendance will get to pick up a printed hard copy of Claiborne on Kors while everyone else can leaf through the e-book online.
CJL
