Can a designer be all things to all women? Michael Kors had fun trying with his Pre-Fall lineup. Like the Fall collection he presented in February, two months after this one (he holds these “transeason” photos until the clothes arrive in stores so they’re news to shoppers; editors saw it back in December), this was a story about unlikely mash-ups that looked unexpectedly right. A baseball tee with a rumba skirt. Preppy stripes with a duchesse silk rose print. A strapless red evening dress with zebra shower slides. Kors might be hard-pressed to make that last one fly—save for among his New York gals, who could work the combo on a pre-party bodega run—but you get the irreverent vibe he was going for.
There was just as much diversity in the designer’s silhouettes. Alongside that 1950s red party frock, there were Lisa Taylor-shot-by-Helmut Newton 1970s shirtdresses and baby doll-ish minidresses worn with motorcycle boots that evoked Courtney Love in her grunge-goddess phase. On the more low-key side, he had high-waisted trouser jeans, plaid pants with a perma-wrinkle, and printed silk pj bottoms. Kors has always had his women covered from day to night, but in the past his message has tended to be more consistent. Now, he say he’s taking his cues from women—the Zendayas and Blake Livelys of the world—who dress according to their moods, not by the rules. He seems to be enjoying the exercise.
