Adam Levine Interview- Kmart Womens Collection, Fashion

Photo: Getty Images for Kmart.

Between coaching on The Voice, touring with Maroon 5, and making his film debut alongside Keira Knightley, Adam Levine squeezed in some time to take on yet another role: clothing designer. Following his extremely successful men's collection with Kmart, the jack-of-all-trades has now launched a new women's line for the big-box store. Levine's advice for juggling so many projects? "Just show up. Drink a lot of coffee," he told us at the line's launch party in Los Angeles last week. We also chatted about his unfortunate army-pants-and-bandanas phase, his fiancée, Behati Prinsloo, and the one outfit he loves to see women wear.

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How much of your own style is mirrored in this collection?

"I think a lot. There are definitely versions of something that I would wear that are made for women. But, I think it’s also what I like to see women wear, selfishly. So, I didn’t worry too much about staying totally on-trend necessarily — it’s just doing what I love. And, you know, bouncing it off some people in my life to see what they think."

You launched a men's line prior to this women's collection. Was designing for women easier or more difficult and why?
"It's harder. When you're designing for men, you can kind of just empty your closet. I had some outside opinions for this."

Did your fiancée, Behati Prinsloo, inspire or help you with any of the pieces?
"She inspired 99% of it. She played a huge part in this, and helped me with some stuff."

What's your favorite piece in the collection and why?
"I love this. I love Hawaiian shirts, and this fits really well. It’s classy and cool and not over-the-top, but fun. If I was a woman, I’d wear that."

Have you always been interested in fashion?
"Yeah, I think that fashion and music are somehow connected to each other. Whatever you decide to put on your body usually is a choice. You know, you’re making a concerted effort walking out the door to look a certain way. So, I think fashion is part of everybody’s life regardless of how much you’re thinking about it or not thinking about it."

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Do you choose what you wear on tour for the most part?
"Usually, yeah. We’re pretty casual. I’m a T-shirt-and-jeans kind of guy most of the time."

What's the biggest style mistake women make? What about men?
"Mom jeans. You know those pleated, too-high, baggy, weird (but not in a good way) jeans? For men: misfit khakis [shudders]."

What was your biggest fashion faux pas when you were growing up?

"Oh god, many regrets. I used to wear these army pants that were way too big. I went through this weird phase where I wore bandanas a lot — it was bad scene. Just ugly, unattractive stuff."

In your opinion, what's the perfect date outfit for a woman?
"Simple. Like I said, there’s nothing more attractive to me than a T-shirt and jeans. Worn the right way — to me, that’s the best."