New York-For fall 2012, Michael Kors went west, to the American west, continuing the theme from his Pre-Fall 2012 collection. The collection, which featured fur and plaid, was inspired by glamorous couples of yore such as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. There indeed was a vintage vibe a combination of Clair McCardell and Vera Maxwell, but it was still fundamentally Michael Kors; luxe American Sportswear.

This year’s fall collection was not as impressive as previ-ous collections, leaving some of us rather under-whelmed. The show began strong, with a poppy and black cashmere romper and a fringed buffalo-plaid shawl-coat. The first few looks were rather consistent, but the collection began to unravel approximately half way through the show. There were too many prints, patterns and colors. In all, there were three prints and patterns, Buffalo checks, Blanket stripes, Ghost plaid, and printed herringbone in addition to seven colors, poppy, black, camel, wheat, gray, gold and silver.

Too many references in the collection made it look like a hodgepodge of ideas with references to the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s.

In spite of this, Michael Kors’ strong suit outerwear was rather effervescent. Although, the collection was not that impressive, this has to be one of his greatest seasons for outerwear. The top three looks would have to be a poppy colored overcoat with an asymmetrical fox fur collar, a black leather coat with black fur patches, and a Buffalo check topcoat.

Suits, a usual strength of Kors was rather weak. This year his suits did not appear to be as tailored and polished as they had in the past. The suits seemed over-designed and ill-fitting; for example, a gray herringbone suit with an

DApril 7, 2012 Women’s Wear Daily $3.00

FALL 2012 COLLECTION REVIEWS

MICHEAL KORS FALL 2012 COLLECTION A MISSBy Frederick M. caldwell

WW

asymmetrical skirt bottom, a look that would look better in an-other collection, perhaps Oscar de la Renta, but definitely not Michael Kors. In addition, this year he opted for more dress suits than his staple pants suits.

The most unsuccessful component of the show was the styling. Usually, his collections are impeccably styled, clean and simple. However, this year it seemed as if he might have done so in the dark. First, there were the floppy fur hats that looked outdated alone, but when paired with a matching coat were completely contrived and passé. There were too many fur accessories. Some looks featured fox fur collars, while interesting, did not make much sense with evening gowns.

Venturing into a new direction is always a commendable task but “if it isn’t broken, don’t try to fix it.” What has worked well for Michael Kors all this time is his clean and simple styling, and his impeccable attention to detail. The Kors legion deserves better.

This season there was a definite shift in silhouettes, fabrics, and colors. The biggest trend for next fall will definitively be masculine womenswear. The trend was featured abundantly on the runway, including Hermes, Billy Reid, Celine, and Donna Karan. Wide legged pants were also all over the runways and included in the collections of Doo Ri, Elie Tahari, Ralph Lauren and Wes Gordon. Next season, hemlines will be longer, just at or below the knee. This trend can be seen in almost all collections, including, Agnes B., Zac Posen, Neem Khan, and Rodarte. Gossamer or sheer fabric which was big previous seasons in fast fashion has made a major comeback on the catwalk. Gossamer fabrics were featured for both evening and casualwear as seen at Jenny Kayne, Michael Kors, Bill Blass, Peter Som and Calvin Klein. This year it will be all about chunky knits. Chunky knits were shown at Kenzo, Alice Lee, Rachel Roy and 3.1 Philip Lim. Although metallic has been around for several seasons, Lamé is making a comeback as shown in many collections, including, Lela Rose, Pamella Roland, Prete & Bruno and Three as Four. In addition to the traditional fall colors, the runways were quite colorful this year. Next season’s color will be electric blue; the color was seen in numours collections, including Ruffian, L’Wren Scott, Preen, and Prabal Gurung.

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TREND WATCH: FALL 2012

Agnes B.Fall 2012

RuffianFall 2012

3.1 Philip LimFall 2012

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Lela RoseFall 2012

Jenny KayneFall 2012

HermesFall 2012

Masculine Womenswear Lamé Gossamer Fabric

Chunky KnitsElectric Blue Longer Hemlines