Presenting his Spring/Summer 2025 collection on Tuesday, fashion designer Michael Kors added a touch of Italy to New York Fashion Week, despite the firm still being involved in legal disputes with competition authorities, reported AFP.
The performance at a cultural venue in Manhattan came after this week's opening of hearings in New York on the US antitrust agency's attempt to stop a merger between Capri, the parent company of Michael Kors, and Tapestry, which owns the Kate Spade brands.
Michael Kors aimed to commemorate 35 years of working with Italian artisans in an environment of volcanic rocks evoking the nation's southern islands, far from the US Federal Trade Commission case.
The catwalk was dominated by flowers, either hand-embroidered or printed, embellishing denim blue skirts, sweaters with short sleeves, and dresses that were crinkled and had belts hanging to one side.
Along with the crumpled trench coat, the ensemble included white shorts and a wide-brimmed hat.
The American designer flaunted a "glamourous" and "rustic" collection that featured "artisanal textures" like lace or raffia on leather.
Michael Kors claimed that in order to create low-cut shirts worn in a feminine manner, he was inspired by the "dark romanticism" of the Netflix series "Ripley," which is based on the well-known Patricia Highsmith novel "The Talented Mr. Ripley."
Additionally, he claimed that Herb Ritts, a fashion and celebrity photographer best known for his images of Madonna, notably the cover of her "True Blue" album, had "warmth and sensuality" that inspired him.