Stars Laud Michael Kors’s Fall Collection … and Kindness

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Though Michael Kors‘s fall fashion show earned raves from most critics, there’s one person who was particularly impressed: his mother, Joan Hamburger.

“I loved this collection,” she told PEOPLE after the show. “I sat all day yesterday watching it. I couldn’t wait to see it on the runway.”

Rachel Zoe agreed. “It was so gorgeous,” she raved. “There was lace and sequins and furs and chunky knits and ponchos. It was absolutely beautiful.”

Inspired by “rugged elegance” — “I’m the best après skier, not the best during skier,” Kors joked to reporters — the collection was a hit with front-row stars like Jessica Alba (joined by Paula Patton and Amber Heard, above). “What didn’t I love?” she said. “I loved the leather — that little bit of leather, little bit of naughty, with the really soft stuff. It was great.”

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According to Hamburger, Kors’s design aspirations started “when he was five. He said he was going to be a designer, and said he’d have his first collection before he was 21,” she recalled. “He’s good. He works hard at it.”

He’s good to his clients, too. “I love his clothing, but what I really love is his heart,” Patton shared. “He’s one of the kindest men, so humble, and has treated me so well from the beginning of my career.”

–With reporting by Jeffrey Slonim

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