"It's Babe [Paley] and Tony [Duquette]," Michael Kors announced at his Resort presentation today. The former was represented by the soigné, fitted dresses—some beaded, others in washed moiré—that are a Kors signature. The latter was evident as much in the prints, which referenced malachite, turquoise, and marble, as in the outsize, ethnic-inspired jewelry. Adding to the classic resort feel of the collection were flowing caftans, shirred maillots, and tie-dye pieces. You don't need a crystal ball to know that they'll all be hits at the designer's Palm Beach store, scheduled to open later this year."
Kors' obsessions with socialites from years past gets a little old sometimes. As for the collection:
It's mainly more of the same from Miss Kors. Some of it's pretty, none of it's new, and most of it is a little dull. We loved his Madmen-inspired Fall 2008 collection, but this one leaves us a little flat.
[Photos: nymag.com - Slideshow: Project RunGay]
71 comments:
Look who's talking about "Brady Bunch" colors. lol!!
Yicks!!!
Me, Dina Merrill and CZ Guest are gonna snatch it all up and spend the whole summer wearing these pieces poolside out in the Hamptons.
Some pieces I like, but the black shortsleeve t with the emerald skirt looks entirely to heavy & hot for 'Resort Wear'. Those models look entirely too young to be wearing such old looking clothes.
SisterZip
Everytime I hear the Tangerine Dream spouting this idiotic tripe, I think back to S2, when he mocked the very wonderful Nick, in the inspiration challenge.
Putz.
--GothamTomato
Ooh, the floor-length turquoise skirt and black tee was the only outfit I did love. As for the rest, well, he knows his market. And the shoes at least aren't clunky.
Has he ever tried to do anything avant-garde in his career? Not being snarky, just curious.
If MK's Fall 2008 collection (Hitchcock's vixens & MadMen-esque inspired apparel) was his attempt at making "his mother's old clothes" (btw: a brilliant observation, TLo --- I was thinking the very same thing!), then this resortwear had to have been inspired by his Barbie, Francie & Midge dolls, circa 1960, or the young socialite he is at heart. Although his designs are world's away, MK's very Isaac Mizrahi in his approach, I think. MK's colors also reminded me something of Miami Beach Barbie meets Carnaby Street.
I liked it, but the his resortwear collection certainly didn't have my demographic in mind.
- edina -
What's with all the caftans? Was Mrs. Roeper his inspiration?
Some of it is typically pretty.
Some things are nice, but nothing gives me a thrill (except the color of the blue caftan).
But these clothes are so, I don't know, Westport, CT / femme d'un certain age / charity luncheon that they look odd on waifish 18 year olds. I don't think the clothes are shown to their best advantage at all. How revolutionary if he'd used, say, 30 year old models--I'll be the clothes would have shown better.
I know that back on Monday we discussed Christian's outfit for Whoopi at the Tony Awards. But can someone please tell me why we haven't been discussing what Liza wore to present Best Actor in a Musical?
Maybe it's more appropriate for the TLo blog. But I need to hear what y'all have to say about it. She looked great. Crazy. But great.
And when we have another Musical Monday on the TLo blog, can I suggest a moment of silence in tribute to the recently departed Cyd Charisse?
"Bill said: She looked great. Crazy. But great."
Are they doing a revival of Capeman?
BTW, I just ran into Kathy Griffin this morning at The Donut Plant. She's very nice & very tiny.
--GothamTomato
What the hell is up with the Hammer pants?! (7th look down, right side)
"gothamtomato said: BTW, I just ran into Kathy Griffin this morning at The Donut Plant. She's very nice & very tiny."
Hate you.
Bill - I think Dina Merrill would rock these clothes, but I agree with bomber that they look very odd on 18 year old anorexics.
As for Liza at the Tonys - If there isn't already, there needs to be a "Liza" line of clothes, because all I could think of looking at that outfit was "she looks so very Liza."
Maybe I'm just not the "avant-garde" type, but I actually like most of the Duchess' collection. Being of a certain age and size, I would wear almost every piece. Guess it helps living in Florida, where this kind of wardrobe is an every day thing!!! (Maybe not at Kors prices, though!).
----StkrShock
Very Blanche Deveraux/Mrs. Roper.
I like most of this- classic lines, vibrant colors. Its not anything really unique but it is nice with silhouettes that will look good on most women and some looser outfits for comfort and ease in the heat.
But the peach disco ball??? (scratches head)
It looks like a fabrics-sample-sales extravaganza.
It's OK but I;m sick of the floppy hat and shades in every resort collection.
Those looks reminded me of the Austin Powers movies.
I kind of like the fabrics and the rich colors but it's a little Auntie Mame. Not my taste or style.
i kinda like the collection or most of it. must be my age i am feeling today!
bill thanks for bring up liZa! i love her but was so confused! lol
I like the little black dress. Other than that, I was pretty unimpressed.
It's very classic, very Palm Beach/Hamptons/Newport. Not my thing, but I don't hate it.
However: baggy pants with the crotch at the knees are not redeemed simply because they are in gold lamé!
Bill, I second the request for a Cyd Charisse tribute. Such an awesome dancer! I was shocked to learn from the obits that she was only 5'6" tall; the woman had gams from here to Sunday.
My eyes! It's the 'hippy dippy you bet your sweet bippy' Lily Pulitzer collection! And does it say anything about the quality of the clothes that I couldn't tell when the sildeshow had looped around and started again?
I think designers are doing too many collections. There aren't that many great ideas floating around the fashion universe.
Bill said, "what Liza wore to present Best Actor in a Musical?"
Oh, my! It's so out, in a way I kind of love it.
(By the way, Bill, how do you put live links into comments?)
BB -
I'm not Bill, but I can answer that. You need to use HTML.
The style is: [a href="URL"]whatever you want to call the link[/a] But instead of square brackets, use the <> angle brackets.
NOTE: Use the full URL: "http://www.whatever.com"
Hope this makes sense!
hi bomber - read the example scenario here for a good run down on how to type up a hyperlink.
Most of that collection is FUG with a capital F.
I threw up in my mouth a little bit.
I am feeling the blah. One or two of the pieces were pretty, like the coral dress with the belt and the aquamarine print sheath, but mostly blah.
I think he would be boring Nina right now.
I am feeling the blah. One or two of the pieces were pretty, like the coral dress with the belt and the aquamarine print sheath, but mostly blah.
I think he would be boring Nina right now.
Kayessay said, "What the hell is up with the Hammer pants?! (7th look down, right side"....
My thoughts exactly when I saw them! Please say they're not coming back. Ever. Again.
I liked most of the collection, as in a lot of it is what would be described as "merely pretty", and I'm ok with that sometimes, especially for summer wear, when I dream of becoming a hippie and wearing only tie-dyed guaze (for comfort). Sorry, but I'm way to hot here, it makes me foolish. Was it just me, or did some of those girls legs look really unattractive?
Is it only me, or does there seem to be a strong disconnect between the garments and the (mostly) sullen-faced really REALLY young-looking models wearing them? Ah, I see that SisterZip and Brooklyn Bommber picked up on that discrepancy, too.
To me, the photos show little kids playing dress-up with their mommies' clothes from the 50s, 60s and 70s. With a dash of Patio Barbie thrown in, too.
And I remember those decades, too.
I think they would 'sell' better on older models - the incongruency really is jarring.
All the best,
NDC
He's succeeded in making Lilly Pulitzer clothes look young and hip. (And yes, I shop the warehouse sale, and yes, I own some wild green and pink prints. What can I tell you, it's a uniform. Where I live, it's what I put on to fade into the background).
I think LuAnn from RHof NYC said she was modeling again...models of a "certain age" are in demand--wonder why Korange didn't use some? It certainly would have made the collection more relevant.
I like a lot of those clothes, but then I'm almost that woman of a certain age Kors designs for (I lack the income and the country club membership to be his ideal).)
Verily, I lust after that coral dress with the gold belt. The Duchess' other adventures in tie dye were not so successful.
And speaking of Liza, that orange sequined shift dress looks very Liza: the Studio 54 Years to me, scarf and all. I hope she picks one up for her next awards-show appearance.
Ack!!! Hippies and mumu's....good God man! Who wears that stuff on vacation?
I liked it, as well.
Granted the longer skirts are something more for an elegant evening out at the outdoors Symphony charity event.
But the colors are pretty (not Brady Bunch at all IMO) and while not one pushes the envelope or brings something new, Ms. Kors certainly knows what her clients want to wear and caters to them.
BTW, everyone's right... this is the wrong model to show them on. He should use Ms. Tyra, Madame Iman, Ms. Brinkley, Ms. Tiegs, or Ms. Lynda Carter.
Someone should give him the advice to not bore Nina.
Alot of it is, to put it in his own words , "farty".
At least it isn't all beige. His collections are always so....well...BEIGE!
I guess I'm the right age for these so maybe that's why I liked some of this. But since my drag days are well behind me, I'd prefer one or two done in 1:4.5 scale for my dolls. Especially the malachite skirt and black top.
Well Liza was a hoot the other night. That outfit was like Halston and YSL in Fashion Heaven getting together and designing something "Le Smoking" especially for her.
BrianB
Ugh. I get that it's for a woman of "a certain age" but so many designers do it better than this already (Lily Pulitzer???). Nothing new to see here and I suppose that's fine, but then what's the point. All that's missing here are the head scarfs and monster sunglasses.
-burnsie
NDC says: Is it only me, or does there seem to be a strong disconnect between the garments and the (mostly) sullen-faced really REALLY young-looking models wearing them? Ah, I see that SisterZip and Brooklyn Bommber picked up on that discrepancy, too.
To me, the photos show little kids playing dress-up with their mommies' clothes from the 50s, 60s and 70s. With a dash of Patio Barbie thrown in, too.
I haven't watched it yet, but the whole collection looks like it belongs in the new tv show "Swingtown".
SisterZip
there are several pretty pieces there, but i agree with tlo & many other posters that there just isn't anything new or "wow" there. and i also agree that they would have shown much better on more mature models. emaciated 16 year olds would never be caught dead in these clothes, and they look wrong.
i second (or third or whatever) bill's request for a tribute to the late, great cyd charisse. what a dancer; what a lady. i collect old mgm musicals and she's always been a favorite - it's worth slogging through the banal plotlines just to see her dance.
Bill, et al:
Cyd Charisse tribute!
I can only say they're very socially acceptable. I like them all, they're the kind of clothes that get you accepted in all sorts of places that might be nice, but as Truman Capote found out later --lethal.
Not loving the collection, very matronly looking.
I had a visceral dislike for these garments. Yes, to the Blanche Devereaux/Mrs. Roper references, and I also got a strong taste of the cruise director chick from The Love Boat. Ugh. I didn't like it then and I don't want to be reminded of what people were wearing then. Also, that beige skirt with the boxy, big-buttoned jacket looked like the illustration on a Simplicity pattern.
Darnit, I actually like it. But I like Lilly Pulitzer stuff, I live in the South, and I'm on the other side of 35. Ah well.
The outfits are mostly ok, pretty but nothing earth-shattering. As others have mentioned, there's a really heavy look to some of them. I don't see a lot of *summer* in this collection.
Also, I can't shake this feeling that what we're seeing is actually the Target (Merona brand?) interpretation of Michael Kors' 2008 Resort Collection. Kinda stiff and not quite fitted right.
Looks like he had Doris Duke on the brain again...while watching an old episode of Rhoda.
Wasn't going to comment until now I see people talking about Liza!
She looked so great I just cheered for her when she came on. So incredibly crazy, of course, but I'm glad that hasn't changed.
Did you guys see when the camera turned on that guy from "Sunday in the Park..." that he was wide-eyed and mouthing "it's Liza" - hilarious!
"Bittybis said...
Also, that beige skirt with the boxy, big-buttoned jacket looked like the illustration on a Simplicity pattern."
ROFL. It does look like the illustration on a Simplicity pattern.
RE: What Liza wore.
bill:
I agree, while Liza did look
k-ra-zy (said in a Rip Taylor-esque manner), she was indeed, fabulous. I couldn't exactly make out what the look was (blouson-style dress, skirt, bra/cami underneath?), but she's got some pretty amazing gams for an old Broadway broad. Love her!
Liza ...thank God she lost all the weight. She looks like she feels terrific.
I don't like the peekaboo bra thing going on.
And yes, Bill, I love these off topic comments in the heat of the summer. As long as we're at it, I'll say Michelle Obama looks swell in magenta and looked top notch in the pics I saw from The View today.
Extremely unattractive and out of date. I think he must have smoked some awfully bad reefer and took a "trip" in order to design this collection. Either that or the tangerine self tanner has been applied to heavily and has caused a severe mental side affect.
the gold lame pieces are icky, icky. and the rest of the pieces are a little dull and commercial. however, i can imagine women of all sizes wearing almost all of them. and that should count for something.
Upon closer inspection...Check out the hanger in the green dress. (8th row down) Little miss bitch is PISSED he put her in that!
Gold lame pants? Are you fucking kidding me?
How DARE he judge anyone...
Gold lame Hammer pants? Gak!(gagging noise)
It'll do well on the Palm Springs geriatric tour.
A bit matronly?
I actually like a number of things--especially the salmon shirtwaist dress (and I look AWFUL in salmon!). But then I'm verging on five-oh, and never really liked the trendy stuff.
After a couple of weeks of 106 weather, loose caftans look wonderful for going out in public. The less it touches my bod, the happier I be.
Liza looks incredible. I should have legs like that!
hello, i'm patsy stone said...
Upon closer inspection...Check out the hanger in the green dress. (8th row down) Little miss bitch is PISSED he put her in that!
Pats, Pats; imagine what her expression would have been had she paid retail for that mess!
Bolly? Stoli? Some smoked salmon nibbly things?
Eddie
I agree that they aren't standouts on the runway, but if you saw someone wearing most any of these garments in real life they would stand out as an extremely chic well dressed woman.
I like the printed sheath dresses that have that early 60's patio party look and some of the fit at flair looks worn with the flat thong sandals. Cute and very resort.
Sewing Siren
Dear Stubenville,
My best advise? You can never have too many hats, gloves and shoes.
Cheersthanksalot,
Pats
I like the colors, but the shoes are ugly as hell.
Where does he get off sending out boring crap like this time after time and then calling out PR designers for being dull and predictable?
And he complained about Uli's clothes?
Well actually, I like it! It is wearable for the REAL woman, and the orange and hot pink gowns are TDF!
I'd take it all if he wanted to give it to me. "Oh Michael!!!!!!!!!!!"
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