Michael Kors shows a return to high-rolling glamour

Designer tries to woo fashion’s tastemakers with refined and sophisticated takes on ready-to-wear as success of his handbags jeopardises brand’s exclusivity

Michael Kors has what many in the fashion industry would consider to be an enviable problem: he is selling too many handbags.

Having identified a gap in the market for a £300-£500 handbag – affordable luxury, in industry-speak – he has been remarkably successful in dominating it. In the last three months of 2014, revenue rose by 30% to £848m, and the opening of 194 new stores brought the global total to 509.