The designer has made three recent trips to Africa and in his program notes, he made reference to Lebombo Lodge in Kruger National Park. The show featured animal prints (leopard, tiger, python and zebra), along with caftans in the hues of a glorious setting sun and leather utility jackets suited for your next safari.

“You are the most glamorous, sexy couple in safari history,” a backstage sign instructed models before they hit the runway. “Brad and Angelina are jealous of you.”

Each model, indeed, walked confidently on the catwalk, aided by diffused runway lighting. Was it my imagination or was the show lit to put everything into a golden glow?

One of the few major designers to feature men and women's clothing at fashion week, Kors showcased utility pants, henleys, sarongs and linen anoraks for him and blanket dresses, ponchos, patchwork shifts and feathered dresses for her in this casual collection. It was quite a contrast to his last show, which celebrated his 30th anniversary in the fashion business with a glittering homage to his Studio 54 disco days.

But that's the beauty of fashion — designers are free to reinvent themselves every few months.

By the time the show had ended with Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" as the models — and Kors — took their final runway walk, I was ready to trade in my frequent flyer miles for an overseas jaunt.

In the audience: Actress Zoe Saldana, model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, singer Courtney Love and a fit-looking Michael Douglas, who told reporters he felt great after his recent treatment for cancer.

Tory Burch's runway debut

It's usually hard to get the fashion crowd to a 9 a.m. show, but the glass-walled foyer at Alice Tully Center was packed to capacity for Tory Burch's first runway outing.

In the fashion world, most new designers show their collections in a presentation situation, where models pose while onlookers walk around to view the clothing. It's quicker for buyers and the fashion press to get in and out and the cost of putting it on is much cheaper than a runway show.

But if you want to raise it to the next level, a full-scale runway show is required.

Burch is certainly at that level, with a business that has exploded since she started it seven years ago. Originally built on ballet flats and tunics that caught the eye of America's tastemaker, Oprah Winfrey, Tory Burch is now a lifestyle brand, with 56 stores around the world, including a glittering new flagship in New York, and more on the way.

Burch, too, has a wanderlust, so she looked to the French seaside resort of Deauville in the 1920s and Pablo Picasso's painting, The Bathers. The languid collection featured Chanel-like tweed jackets, dresses in collage prints of silky crepe de chine fabric, ribbed knit cardigans and silk sweatshirts discreetly marked with the Tory Burch logo at the bottom edge.

For a first runway show, a new designer often experiments with out-there fashion meant to impress editors of the fashion magazines, but every look Burch sent out is wearable and will likely end up for sale in stores. For the first time, she played raffia, dotting a skirt, dress and jacket with the palm frond from the island of Madagascar, and added fringe detail to skirts and jackets, but managed to make the items fresh yet enticing for her customer.

Burch also veered into evening looks, with several silk chiffon gowns in seafoam, blush and coral shades. They will be available only at her flagship store on Madison Avenue. But the way her line continues to grow, I wouldn't be surprised to see them everywhere before too long.