As any fan of Project Runway can tell you, Michael Kors, purveyor of American sportswear that straddles the line between luxurious and practical, is perhaps fashion’s most quotable designer.

“If you didn’t do that jacket in fleece, I would have been like, ‘Give me a Xanax, I’m asleep,’” he told one budding designer on Runway.

Kors’ biannual New York shows are among Fashion Week’s most reliably dazzling, with plenty of star power in the front row and lustworthy clothes on the models. Late last month the designer brought his spring collection of shift dresses and featherweight sweaters to Mar-a-Lago, in honor of the upcoming Palm Beach Heart Ball.

Prior to the poolside show, waiters handed out flutes of champagne and shot glasses filled with french fries and ketchup, and Regis Philbin and Heart Ball donors paused to admire models wearing Kors’ midriff-baring swimwear and a king’s ransom of GRAFF diamonds.

Kors, meanwhile, chatted about L.A. beauty, Lady Gaga, and why some consider his models the most gorgeous to prowl any catwalk:

What personified the fashion of the 2000s?

“There’s been a little bit of overindulgence in the last decade. It’s kind of like when we see pictures of ourselves from the ’80s, and we’re like, ‘Oh my god, why was I wearing that much makeup? Why was my hair that big?’

“So perhaps we’re going to look back and say, ‘You know, maybe I didn’t have to be that tan. Maybe my skirt didn’t have to be that tight. My heels didn’t have to be that crazy.’”

Your fans are thrilled you’re back on “Project Runway.” What can you tell us about this season?

“In a weird way, it’s a microcosm of the fashion world. I’m happy to see someone Chinese from Chicago versus someone who’s Persian from Texas versus someone who’s Filipino in San Francisco, different ages, different levels of experience, and they’re very focused on their own point of view, sometimes to their detriment, sometimes to their advantage.”

You have a new cosmetics line (Michael Kors Very Hollywood, a collaboration with Estée Lauder).

“There’s something really intriguing about doing kind of the two sides of beauty that you see in L.A., and somehow making those two sides of beauty be available and easy for women.

“So we really focused on the idea of the two personalities — she’s tawny and sporty, she’s kind of Candice Bergen, Charlotte Rampling, a real lioness.

“And there’s the other side. The woman who’s not afraid of color, she loves black, she loves fuchsia. Often it’s the same woman with two moods.

“At the same time, if you’re wearing color on your face, you never look made up. We’ve never shown a model looking made up.

“I’ve had people say to me, ‘The models you use are more beautiful than anyone else’s.’ They’re the same models — it’s putting girls in clothes they feel right in, and letting them come through.”

Do you have any plans to collaborate with Target, H&M, HSN, QVC?

“Uh, no! No!

“The reality is we do two full women’s collections at two different price points — the designer collection and the Michael line. We do shoes at three different prices, handbags at two.

“I fully endorse and think it’s great that fashion and clothes are democratic. But I’d rather control it and do it myself.”

What book are you reading right now?

“I’m almost finished with Dominick Dunne, Too Much Money. And it’s good! It’s, of course, sad that he didn’t live to see it. I think the title is riotous and perfect for now, and I always think that his books are fun because you’re playing guessing games. Who is that? Is that a composite of four people? Three people?

“So I’m in the middle of that, and I actually was starting to re-read Marlene Dietrich’s biography, but it’s a monster-sized book.”

What movie have you seen recently that you’d endorse?

“I don’t want to sound ridiculously commercial, but I’m Avatar crazy. I’ve seen it twice already, and I’m ready for the third. I could go all the time.

“Just when people say you can’t do anything new in culture, whether it’s theater or film or fashion, someone like James Cameron comes along, and he does something totally different.

“And you know, Sigourney (Weaver) is an old friend and an old client, and it’s great for a whole new generation of people to realize just how fabulous she is.”

What music are you listening to?

“There’s a fabulous quartet called The Vitamin String Quartet, and they do all of your favorite pop songs in a very chamber music, classical way.

“I’m Lady Gaga-obsessed. I think she’s really a juggernaut. I think she’s got talent, ideas and she puts me in a good mood.

“And I love the new Mika album. Makes me want to put the top down and drive.”

What’s on your vacation wish list?

“Well, it’s never a wish list — I just go!

“Actually, I have never been to Australia, and honestly, in fashion, I don’t really have enough time to go. If I had more time, I would definitely spend a month in Australia. But fashion doesn’t allow for month vacations. Unless you’re Saint Laurent and you’re having a nervous breakdown.”