Michael Kors relaunches the Astor handbag

By

Jennifer Braun

Published
Mar 15, 2023

Michael Kors announced on Tuesday the relaunch of its iconic heritage handbag: the Astor. 

The Astor was first introduced in 2004 and designed as an homage to Astor Place in New York City. The one-block street in NoHo/East Village in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan is recognized as the home of legendary restaurant Indochine and The Public Theater, where Hamilton first premiered. 

“The Astor Place subway station, with its powerful cube sculpture by Tony Rosenthal, is the dividing line between Greenwich Village and the East Village, two of my favorite New York neighborhoods,” said Michael Kors. 

“The Astor bag itself will be turning 20 very soon. And the sporty glamour that exemplified the early Aughties seems incredibly relevant to the way we are all living and dressing today.” 

In particular, the Astor bag has clean lines and is made with luxe leather speaking to uptown polish, while the stud hardware adds a downtown feel. It is available in two sizes that retail for $498 and $598, and makes its appearance in the designer’s spring advertising campaign.

“The artisanal studding and heavy top stitching is reminiscent of legendary sandal and belt maker Barbara Shaum, whose studio was on East 7th Street right off Astor Place,” added Kors. “The Astor bag is truly one of those things in your wardrobe, like a great pair of jeans, that gets better and better with time.”