Michael Kors kicked off the final day of New York Fashion Week on Wednesday with A-list actresses Nicole Kidman and Catherine Zeta-Jones front row and plus-size models powering down the catwalk.
Ashley Graham and Sabina Karlsson joined Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid in unveiling the spring 2018 collection, furthering a trend of New York designers starting to include fuller figures on the runway.
Kors, the icon of American womenswear whom Forbes says finally hit the $1 billion mark in February after flirting with billionaire status since his eponymous company went public in December 2011, said his collection was all about ease and the relaxed attitude of sarongs, kimonos and pajamas juxtaposed with oversized menswear tailoring.
US singer Sara Bareilles performed hits such as "(You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" and "Brave" -- the latter a mainstay of Hillary Clinton's 2016 thwarted campaign playlist -- in a SoHo loft.
"Manhattan to Malibu... Beverly Hills to Bora Bora," said Kors, summing up the collection that put the flip flop on the catwalk.
It was the second consecutive time the designer had put a curve model in his runway show, still a relatively rarity for the most prominent houses despite the average American women measuring a size 14-16.
"Everyone is so different and real in so many ways. People are asking the industry to showcase and represent that," Karlsson told AFP by email in response to written questions ahead of fashion week.
"I want young girls and women to see me and feel like they can relate to me and get inspired. I'm very optimistic on the route that the industry is taking, we'll just have to keep working for the change."