NEW YORK — When the apocalypse comes, I want to be around Michael Kors. Because when the end of the world is approaching, you want to look super chic and Kors has everything for the occasion.
Even though things are going really well for the designer — his company reported record profits on Tuesday — Kors is in survival mode.
Surviving Superstorm Sandy last fall apparently got Kors thinking about survival — in a chic way — just as he was planning the collection in a city that was half cast in darkness.
His fall 2013 collection, unveiled at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Wednesday, features mink stoles, jackets and trousers in camouflage patterns of white, black and blue. Coats come in traffic-stopping colors of taxicab yellow, safety orange and stoplight red. Perforated skirts and pullovers of rubberized fabric are meant for urban animals.
And what to wear to outrun the zombies? Why, a pair of bright yellow track pants with black leather tuxedo stripe, of course.
Instead of full-on evening gowns, the collection features short peplum skirts in shades of neon orange and royal blue with long trains. So what, if they look a little Atlantic City casino-cocktail waitressy? They make a statement.
Surviving Superstorm Sandy last fall apparently got Kors thinking about survival — in a chic way — just as he was planning the collection in a city that was half cast in darkness. According to his program notes, the result is a collection in which "urban athleticism meets uptown polish...an attitude basked on speed, endurance and glamour."
The only real glitter came from a crystal peplum gown with train that model-of-the-moment Karlie Kloss wore to close the show, yet the collection has a lot of flash. And since it has Kors' name on it, fabrics are luxe. Just the name "cashgora" — a fabric that combines cashmere and angora — sounds rich.
At the end of the show, when Kors took his victory lap past a celebrity row that included Jada Pinkett Smith and daughter Willow Smith, Michael Douglas, Zoe Saldana and Hilary Swank, his walk practically became a jog.
He's clearly a man in a hurry — and it doesn't look like he's going to slow down anytime soon — apocalypse or not.
A bright red sweater coat is an attention-getter.
