Are the remnants of post-pandemic opulence still lingering within the fashion sect? Or, have the few years since dopamine and sensual dressing reigned supreme paved the way for something else? An aesthetic more intimate and raw rather than extravagant and elegant.
At Michael Kors’ NYFW Spring/Summer 2024 show, these two juxtaposing styles merged in an unashamedly resort-infused collection that oscillated between body-conscious vulnerability and balmy glamour pertinent for the jet set.
To convey his thesis, Kors tapped a host of supermodels including Vittoria Ceretti, Irina Shayk, Paloma Elsesser and Emily Ratajkowski (to name a few). These members of the celebrity style set encapsulate the pitfalls and the merits of contemporary dressing.
In a world where social capital is based upon what you wear, Kors’ latest offering advocates for using clothing as a form of second skin. Something transportive, yet unflinching.
To do this, Kors’ looked to the hedonism of the 70s, embracing the personal styles of the late Jane Birkin, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and the muses of Jean-Luc Godard to articulate the innate freedom of dressing for yourself.
Over 65 looks, Kors swung from presenting an array of lace in a myriad of cuts and colours—perfect for long walks in Capri, though the Bougainvilleas lining the runway may have added to that illusion—to a more refined edit of nude-toned wardrobe staples: the perfect crisp white button down, camel blazer, brown pencil midi skirt.
All looks were catered to the body, whether it be the sheer chandelier skirt worn by Ashley Graham or the sand-coloured embroidered kaftan that layered over a nude figure. Through each piece, Kors tinkered and tailored with the levels of undress, peeling back the layers of New York women to reveal (or conceal) what lay underneath.
There was a sense of escapism underpinned in this collection. Irrespective of this can be attributed to the Brooklyn setting of the show or the bluebird backdrop providing a harsh contrast from the muted colour palette of the runway, Kors has unleashed a season of ease. One to lay yourself bare.
This story first appeared on GRAZIA International.