NEW YORK (AP) - Michael Kors wants us all to be a little more optimistic, while Kimora Lee Simmons went with a low-key office presentation Wednesday during New York Fashion Week.
Brandon Maxwell brought the posh, taking over the Russian Tea Room, and Monique Lhuillier offered a retrospective marking her 20 years in fashion.
Coach, too, celebrated a milestone - 75 years, putting on a rocker-chick heavy show.
Some highlights:
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MICHAEL KORS HAS A MESSAGE FOR SPRING: GET HAPPY!
The designer put Rufus Wainwright on his runway to belt Judy Garland tunes as models walked in bring florals and looks in classic navy and white.
Kors said in an interview he was thinking about that old chestnut, "'She's a real dame,'" ala Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Hepburn back in the '40s and Kim Basinger in the '80s.
"These women were sly and feminine but they were definitely in control," Kors said.
He delivered that attitude in sharp tailoring of shoulders and cinched waists, mixed with things like a wide-belted trench coat with an asymmetrical hem, pleated palazzo pants and shoulder-to-wrist rows of ruffles on the sleeves of one collared, see-through button-down blouse.
"Something that catches the breeze," Kors said.
Kors, bending to the "see now, buy now" trend, made some looks immediately available, but most of the collection he called timeless, the "opposite of fast fashion."
That was true of navy blue coats, day dresses and sparkly black eveningwear. It might not be true of little bra top and romper sets in browns, or oversized sleeves flopping over hands.
Impulse buy or investment, the fashion seasons are officially blurred, Kors said.
"More and more we see that our customers don't pay attention to the seasons anyway," he said. "People wear boots in the summer, sandals in the winter. People travel. There's no time of day or night."
--Leanne Italie
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A TOUCH OF WHIMSY FOR KIMORA LEE SIMMONS
Her soundtrack told you all you needed to know about the clothes before you even laid eyes on them during a low-key presentation of the latest KLS collection at Simmons' Midtown office.
Violinist Eric Stanley provided a live musical backdrop. While he had a classic lilt, the songs were taken from the pop charts, and were playful, sexy and inviting. That could have easily described the clothes as well.
The color schemes were generally dark blue, black or white, with dresses, skirts and pantsuits sleek and elegant enough to double for work or an after-hours event. But there were also pieces that provided a burst of cheer.
A dreamy blouse had a matching skirt that looked cotton-candy inspired. A black-and-white shirtdress was accented by ribbons and jewel-like embellishments.
"It's a little bit more whimsical and fun," said Simmons of the collection, her eighth.
"I've been able to put in little cheeky accents, like my rose jacquard, like my pop-up pink gown, like my ribbon," she added. "It's just beautiful, technical, but you can have a little bit of personality in there, I think."
Simmons herself wore a black dress with long sleeves and a peekaboo shoulder, one of her designs.
She said she was designing for people like her: Working women juggling lots of responsibilities (Simmons is the married mother of four children).
"It's very chic, but on a very basic level, very simple. Simply elegant," she said. "(It's) very wearable. Shirt dresses, pencil skirts, blouses. Even if it's see-through or a little bit sheer, it's not too, too much."
The presentation was a far cry from the extravagant runway shows she staged years ago during her Baby Phat designing days. While she doesn't rule out a return to the runway, she's happy with the low-key approach.
"Now it's more intimate, and when you are in a market like we are, you always have to offer that little bit more. Nowadays, for me, that little bit more is less, it's just a step back," Simmons said. "It's a little bit more accessible, and to me, I feel like that's luxurious."
--Nekesa Mumbi Moody
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BRANDON MAXWELL'S CHEER SQUAD INCLUDES LADY GAGA
Gaga stood up and led the adulation at the end of her former stylist's show Tuesday night.
Maxwell, who launched his company last year, has already dressed first lady Michelle Obama twice and won a prestigious award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Gaga, Naomi Campbell, Uma Thurman and Zendaya are just a few of the celebs who have worn him.
How did he do that in such a short span?
"I have such great friends and family," Maxwell said in an interview. When he decided to become a designer himself and build a business, "they really got on board and fully supported me."
For fashion week, the Texas native stuck close to his core aesthetic, with folded and piped bodices that curved and hugged, a cape-back jumpsuit, pleated trousers and deep V necks and halters in satin and other elegant fabrics. Some of his tops were cropped and tiny while other looks offered plenty of coverage.
His 60-year-old mom, Pam Woolley, attended the show and wore a black outfit with big bell cuffs that fit her perfectly.
Gaga also wore Maxwell - teeny tight black shorts with a matching crop top, showing off her long blonde high ponytail as she sipped Champagne in black-rimmed nerd glasses and later stood and clapped from the front row when Maxwell came out for his bow.
--Leanne Italie
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MONIQUE LHUILLIER TOASTS 20 YEARS WITH NOSTALGIC SHOW
The designer and celebrity favorite took to her archives and found a lot of romance.
"I went through this journey of, like, remembering all these pieces and what really stood out and what were elements that were signature Monique and have been in the collection since I started," she said in an interview after her Tuesday show.
The red carpet stunners came in pale pinks, blush tones, feathers and delicate embroideries with splashes of sparkles and heart-shaped sequins.
"I brought a lot of textures back, like these marabou feathers," Lhuillier explained backstage. "It's sophisticated, it's feminine, but then she has like a darker side to her."
Layers of draped pastel tulle flowed behind models as they walked the runway in glittery stilettos and strappy flats.
There was drama, too.
A structured black lace blazer topped billowing black chiffon palazzo pants, and a long sleeve metallic sheath gown glided the runway like liquid rose gold. Waists cinched in by chunky black belts added an edge to the ultra-feminine collection.
"Very girly. I feel like a girl," said Ireland Baldwin of the Lhuillier dress she wore while sitting front row. "I never usually dress like a girl. So it feels nice to have a girly day."
--Nicole Evatt
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COACH MARKS ITS 75TH YEAR WITH AN EDGE
Models circled busted up, rusty vintage cars and walked to pounding rock music as the brand actively courts the young with biker leather and studded platform shoes.
Fringe flecked with silvery metallic bits was everywhere, often overlaying skirts and jackets. Some dresses and skirts combined leather with lightly patterned sheers worn over tiny shorts.
With just that girl, Courtney Love, on the front row Tuesday, along with brand ambassador Chloe Grace Moretz and other celebrities, the models posed leaning on the cars at the end.
"When you look at this, when you look at this, you look at this front row, you look at this set, Stuart (Vevers) has really reinvented the face of Coach," Moretz said of the Coach designer.
"He's really made it his own."
Others on hand: Serena Williams, Emma Roberts, Michael B. Jordan, Riley Keough and Li Yi Feng. The Coach 1941 collection included T-shirts and sweatshirts with images of Keough's grandfather, Elvis Presley.
Fringe was definitely in. Creative director Vevers offered it not only on clothes but also shoes and bags. He closed the show with a series of studded fringe dresses.
Feminine sheers, some with floral and heart prints, were toughened up with black leather. Some scarves and bags were accessorized with padlocks.
--Gina Abdy