MICHAEL KORS: How has New York influenced your style? Are you “quintessentially” New York?
STEPHANIE WINSTON WOLKOFF: New York is the epicenter of the world—fast paced, full of life, with a great mix of culture and influences. I work full-time, [am] a mom, and I’m also 6-foot-1. I know what works on me and who makes it. I think knowing yourself is very New York. I rely on a stable of designers—Kors, Dolce, Gucci and Ralph always have just what I need to look appropriate and feel great.
MK: So you still care about the word “appropriate”?
SWW: I do. Every stylish woman—whether Jackie Kennedy, Babe Paley or Sophia Loren—dressed according to her own body and her life.
MK: Talk to me about accessories.
SWW: I am definitely an accessories kind of girl. I love bags. I like them big because I carry the world in them. I love myBirkins—they can hold all I need.
MK: How will the move to Lincoln Center change Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week?
SWW: It puts fashion on the same level as other cultural arts—music, theater, opera and so on. And where better to do that than at Lincoln Center? I think it will really heighten everyone’s awareness of what fashion means to the city.
