1. 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 MISS
By Frederick M. Caldwell
WW

2. 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 First, there were the floppy fur hats that looked outdated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.
DWW
DWW april 7, 20122

3. TREND WATCH: FALL 2012
Agnes B.
Fall 2012
Ruffian
Fall 2012
3.1 Philip Lim
Fall 2012
DWW
DWWApril 7, 2012 3
Lela Rose
Fall 2012
Jenny Kayne
Fall 2012
Hermes
Fall 2012
Masculine Womenswear Lamé
Gossamer Fabric
Chunky KnitsElectric BlueLonger Hemlines