Michael Kors takes it easy with new collection at New York Fashion Week

NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Kors created a runway that evoked his own living room to set the tone for his new Fall/Winter collection for New York Fashion Week, which focused on comfort and movement.

“It’s about the idea of ease, which we Americans invented. The world dresses this way, but what I like is that it has glamour,” Kors told The Associated Press backstage before the show.

The designer says he looked at old photos of icons like Lauren Hutton back in the 70s, and Zoe Kravitz on the street today to find the essence of the collection. “There’s this relaxed ease to how they look that I think is modern,” Kors said.

“It’s also about layering things in a very cool way. So it could be… a silk dress, but grab your husband’s coat or his jacket and throw it on. It’s about stride. I like when clothes move when you walk. That’s what’s sexy, not being naked.”

Models let the clothes do the talking with very minimal makeup and loose, natural hair as they marched down an extended two-aisled runway. The show opened with softly tailored menswear jackets paired with long flowing skirts or slouchy suit pants.

For a modern twist on layering for the fall, the show featured bikini bra tops under oversized blazers — either alone or with long blouses layering in between.

“Delicious oversized, cardigan blazers and coats with these very sort of filmy, soft dresses. This show is anti-corset, anti-Spanx, anti-bustier. It’s that comfort and ease,” Kors said.

Kors also heightened the show with touches of glamour in elegant dresses and jackets with swaths of sparkling sequins.

Black was a dominant color, with some grey, grey tweed and a few neutral colors including chocolate, green and deep purple. One standout material was long haired shearling-- in surprising colors like dusty mauve and celadon-- shown on a peacoat, a vest, several purses and even a pair of flat shoes.

Kors has always said every woman needs a great coat and he had plenty of options from leather trench coats belted tightly at the waist, to leather hipster jackets in several shapes, to one traditional trench-style, covered in liquid sequins which glistened in the light. There were cozy looks too, like long thick turtleneck sweaters – part of Kors' “neo-classic knitwear.”

Extending the casual, comfortable style to the setting, Kors and his team transformed a giant, high-ceilinged space at New York’s Terminal Warehouse to look like his home, with exposed brick and wood accents, and even art and houseware pieces punctuating the end of each runway bench. Japanese paper lanterns hung from the vaulted ceilings adding to what Kors called his “warm modernism.”

Celebrities flock to Kors shows and despite frigid New York temperatures, stars including Uma Thurman, Kerry Washington, Suki Waterhouse, Rose Byrne, Lea Michele, Cristin Milioti, and Rachel Zegler huddled together in the front row. Actor and reality star Lisa Rinna brought her daughter, Delilah Belle Hamlin, to watch her other daughter, Amelia Gray Hamlin, walk the runway.

“I can’t stop singing my praises about it,” gushed actor-singer Suki Waterhouse, who called the show “absolutely stunning.” “Those drama-crazy hats, scarves that look like blankets. It was everything it needed to be.”

Byrne said the clothes were “gorgeous” and so wearable. “(I’m) obsessed with the oversized suits already. The classic big coats, the beautiful chic dresses. Classic Michael Kors, he always delivers."

Suni Lee arrives at the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Leni Klum arrives at the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Suki Waterhouse arrives at the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Rose Byrne arrives at the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Delilah Hamlin, left, and Lisa Rinna arrive at the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Rachel Zegler arrives at the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

CORRECTS EVENT - Kerry Washington attends the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

CORRECTS EVENT - Rachel Brosnahan attends the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

CORRECTS EVENT - Nicole Scherzinger attends the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

CORRECTS EVENT - Lea Michele attends the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Michael Kors walks the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

A model walks the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Models walk the runway during the Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2025 fashion show as part of New York Fashion Week on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Terminal Warehouse in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)