Madonna. Grace Jones. Dianne Brill. Nancy Reagan! The names Michael Kors was checking at his presentation this morning were a giveaway. After working a 1940s-by-way-of-the-’80s theme for Spring, he kept his influences strictly ’80s for Pre-Fall. Among the items and ideas that he lifted and manipulated for 2017 are strong shoulders on otherwise softly structured pantsuits, exposed bras and leotards under sweetheart neckline dresses, pinstripes (think Madge circa “Express Yourself”), and lots of chain, stud, and safety pin detailing.
The ’80s are a time period that Kors knows firsthand, having launched his own brand here in New York in 1981. Maybe that’s why his reinterpretations didn’t feel nostalgic or exaggeratedly gimmicky as they have in the hands of other designers lately. He kept the palette clean (white, black, and red) and the angles sharp. Making a play for “the comeback of the suit,” he showed military-inspired tailoring in black and red trimmed with shiny silver buttons. One of the highlights of the lineup was a narrowly cut black dress with “the feeling of suiting,” thanks to its built-up shoulders, plunging U-shaped neckline, and tapered waist.
As he pointed out at the beginning of the presentation, Pre-Fall makes up 65 to 70 percent of the Fall buy. In keeping with those stats, this was a wide-ranging offering with what he calls “September fashion show coats,” including an interesting style in a cracked resin rubberized print, and lots of thought on sweater dressing (a chunky ribbed knit with zip detail at the hem, asymmetrically cut cashmeres, and an evening sweater crosshatched with fine chains). Kors pointed to a silver fringed and sequined stretch tulle gown, one of many sparkling evening options, and said it had Rihanna’s name all over it. “She’d wear it to lunch,” he said. A rule-breaker in the mold of Madonna et al.
