The spirit of dichotomy—the interplay of casual and dressy, of covered versus bare—that infused Michael Kors' new women's collection was much less extreme in his menswear. Though Kors possibly has more of a natural instinct for such contradiction than other designers—you might even say it's the essence of his style—this season it was the dressed-up that was really calling to him. He wanted to reclaim the suit as a male staple, so he offered it with generously cut trousers that he felt would speak more to young men. His puffer came in black cashmere; his parka was paired with cashmere flannel pants.
The idea of the glamorized basic is another Kors signature. It's always worked wonders for his woman, but the challenge with men is that male glamour actually needs a spice of the outré Old World to make it truly seductive (even those Hurrell photos of fine, upstanding cowboys like Gary Cooper had a dreamy, narcissistic tinge). Kors' gift is possibly too all-American to provide the requisite edge. So what really stood out were the items that it was easiest to imagine him wearing, such as a winning series of waffle-knits with matching mufflers in hazmat orange, taxicab yellow, and royal blue.
