Michael Kors' far too easy beachside glamour

By

Godfrey Deeny

Published
Sep 13, 2017

All about the Big Easy at Michael Kors – meaning the relaxed attitude, not the nickname of New Orleans.

Relaxed, yes, except for a small squad of heavies who cordoned off the central section of the front-row, so a triumvirate of movie stars – Catherine Zeta Jones, Naomi Watts and Nicole Kidman – could be left, somewhat, alone to chat.
 
On the catwalk, Kors' central obsession was tie-dye – seen in everything from sarongs and trenches to kimonos and pajamas.  “Barefoot glamour for evening,” said the designer, after sending out a series of soft hued palm leaf prints – all in a dreamy palette of rosewater, wisteria and cornflower. Practically every second look had a Hawaiian luau floral necklace. The mood was very much beachside – all the way to the beautiful raffia shoulder sacks and cool cork wedges. Most looks were anchored by simple white flip-flops, adding to the sense of modest ambition, and effort, about this collection, the least interesting from Kors in the past decade.

That said, thanks to some savvy managing and Kors’ ever fertile imagination the brand has bounced back financially after several quarters of declining sales. Kors shares jumped almost 15% in August, after better-than-expected sales and earnings results. Kors are now predicting annual sales of $4.275 billion for 2017. The designer did also have a busy Wednesday: launching his latest smart watch, Access, with a huge bash on the Hudson River.
 
Staged on the sixth floor of Spring Studios, which will be the main center of the New York runway season, the show was a nightmare to actually enter. A good 15-minute wait just to get inside an elevator. Which made most of the professional members of the audience shudder at the idea of multiple shows inside this building in Tribeca.
 
The show was backed up by a brilliant musical performance by Sara Bareilles, who opened her mini concert up with a soaring version of “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.” She certainly made the show memorable, but ultimately could not save this pastiche of a collection.