When a 5-year-old styled his mother's bridal dress...

Just imagine… This is the second time this has happened to you. It’s going to be good? Is he the right man for me? How will my child react to it? Do I need this? Innumerable questions may storm the head of someone who is marrying for a second time, especially in the 1960s, when it was not so common (and acceptable).

Joan Hamburger was in that dilemma after finding love for the second time and preparing herself for the marriage with Bill Kors, a businessman.

She was fitting her dress, as any bride would do before the magical moment, and suddenly, she hears:

"The bows are terrible. Take off the bows"

Stunned, Joan can’t believe what her 5-year-old son said about her dress.

Karl Anderson adored his mother and desired to make her happy in any way he could. That affection was expressed in his words when he told his mother to remove the bridal gown’s bows.

After the marriage of his mother, Karl had the chance to change his name, and he did it. At the age of 6, Karl became Michael and his surname Anderson became Kors.

During his teenage years, Michael Kors tried to get adventurous in the arts at high school. He started to make theater and participate in events to find out what he would like to work with. All of his efforts resulted in the same outcome: he desired to work in the fashion industry.

That passion even reached into his religion. At the age of 13, he had to do the Bar Mitzvah, the traditional Jewish ceremony to emancipate a child into the religious adulthood, and, of course, Michael used his own style for his ceremony. His Jewish family was shocked, but they understood his choices without drama.

Years later, Michael Kors’s passion took him to the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, where he realized his full potential. This desire to work directly in fashion influenced his decision to drop out of college and work directly in retail at a luxury store called Lothar’s. This is where Michael was discovered and stimulated to start his own fashion label.

In 1981, Michael Kors brand was founded, and 40 years later, with 825 outlets in 100 countries, it has become one of the most famous American fashion labels and one of the leading names at New York Fashion Week.

The sources of information are from Mazel Tov: Celebrities’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories (Jill Rappaport, 2007). Capri Holdings, owner of Michael Kors label and interviews from People’s Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.

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