When he's at the top of his game, Michael Kors is brilliant at conjuring a whole lifestyle in 64 runway looks. The chunky cashmere sweaters, camel suede wrap shirts, distressed leather cargo vests, and floor-skimming sequined jersey gowns the designer showed today stirred up visions of private jets, second homes in the mountains, and very flush bank accounts. If you left the tents not longing for a piece of all that—or, at the very least, not wanting his easy, extravagant shredded silver-fox anorak (the model wore it with the hood up)—then perhaps you'd be happier living in a monastery or commune.
With all-American sportswear a big story on the New York runways this week and the Costume Institute's next show, American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity, opening in May, this was Kors' moment to shine. And shine he did, updating classics like chesterfields and full trousers by cutting them in crushed flannel. Focusing on fit, he put slits in the elbows of a white coat worn with a deep-V sweater so he could keep the arms razor-thin, and he sliced a paillette jersey gown at the midriff for a relaxed, sexy effect.
If it's sexy you want, Kors is your man for Fall. There were tan sternums (on both the guys and the gals) everywhere you looked. The luxe quotient was also plenty high. We've seen a lot of fur trim on coats and even dresses this season, but it doesn't get any better than Kors' shredded fox skirt. It exemplified the combination of indulgence and irreverence that made this collection such a hit.
