The spirit of dichotomy—the interplay of casual and dressy, of covered versus bare—that infused Michael Kors new women s collection was much less extreme in his menswear. Though Kors possibly has more of a natural instinct for such contradiction than other designers—you might even say it s the essence of his style—this season it was the dressed-up that was really calling to him. He wanted to reclaim the suit as a male staple, so he offered it with generously cut trousers that he felt would speak more to young men. His puffer came in black cashmere; his parka was paired with cashmere flannel pants.
The idea of the glamorized basic is another Kors signature. It s always worked wonders for his woman, but the challenge with men is that male glamour actually needs a spice of the outré Old World to make it truly seductive (even those Hurrell photos of fine, upstanding cowboys like Gary Cooper had a dreamy, narcissistic tinge). Kors gift is possibly too all-American to provide the requisite edge. So what really stood out were the items that it was easiest to imagine him wearing, such as a winning series of waffle-knits with matching mufflers in hazmat orange, taxicab yellow, and royal blue.
