New York is a city that exists in a constant state of flux, a fact acutely exemplified by its fashion scene. There are few places where the adage “one moment, you’re in; the next, you’re out” feels quite as apt, with buzzy new names becoming the hottest tickets in town overnight, only to fade into oblivion as quickly as they came up. Still, there are exceptions to the rule of fickleness that governs New York – the most notable of all being Michael Kors.
One of the few remaining blockbuster shows on the city’s schedule – particularly now that Marc Jacobs is off the official calendar and that future plans for Tom Ford’s recently sold namesake label remain unclear – there’s a totemic permanence to the brand; a sense of legacy that’s reassuring at a time when things in fashion, or anywhere for that matter, feel anything but certain.
The collection presented yesterday, in a mirrored hall close to the Hudson, iterated the foundational values on which his mighty empire is built. Opening with a suite of elegant, long-lined herringbone coats and slinky jersey dresses; a-line capes and louche suiting that pooled in taupes, creams and soft greys; the subdued refinement that has always defined the brand was adamant from the start. Far from fusty or conservative, though, it felt eminently contemporary. Those jersey dresses, for example, were slashed up to the thigh, with panels flickering about the models as they walked, and styled with wide belts with glinting buckles. And the seams of the sleeves of crisp blazers were opened, allowing for a look that struck a clever compromise between the insouciance of a jacket slouched over the shoulders and the exacting fit of a well-tailored garment.
Subtle frou-frou came with spaghetti strapped shift dresses and suede bags that cascaded with fringe, and coats in animal prints and deep-pile shearling. That energy blooms into all out disco-glam in jewel-tone, sequin-spangled dresses with torso cutouts and twisted draping at the front and swishy bell bottoms, dialling down to evening-ready elegance with oversized blazers and décolleté-baring long-sleeved gowns in paulette-embroidered nightshade hues.
Indeed, the range that the collection covered — a full office to dinner to the club offering — is a large part of why the brand has become the behemoth that it is. While others increasingly seek to generate distracting spectacles in the hopes of attracting eyes and subsequent sales, Michael Kors has retained a steadfast focus on what this business is ultimately all about — making thoughtfully constructed, wearable clothes. And this was yet another collection full of them.
