Fun and Flirty Kors

All-business Michael Kors finds room for fun with flirty fall 2016 collection

Michael Kors is all business for fall 2016, but the popular designer of luxe American sportswear likes to have fun too. That's evident in the first look of the collection, unveiled at New York Fashion Week, in which he mixed classic staples — a navy wool pea coat, white silk bow blouse, and cashmere pullover — with a pair of denim jeans dripping in ostrich feathers from the knee down.

Kors often pairs the sensible with flashy and frivolous items. A prim houndstooth tweed jacket and bow blouse was shown with a flashy feather skirt, and a puffy lime green shearling jacket was thrown over a powder blue cashmere pullover and navy shirt.

A sensible brown officer's coat was featured in one look; in another, model Kendall Jenner showed up in a metal mini-dress held together with silver rings — perfect for dancing the night away.

Kors admits he's fascinated by "the flirty freedom of things that move," as he explained in his program notes, and it certainly shows in "streamer skirts" and "slashed dresses" with flaps akin to those found in the car wash, glittery silver metallic pants that catch the light, and ostrich feathers that flare out from sleeves of a blouse. The collection seemed to delight the celebrity front row that included Blake Lively (with mom Elaine), Riley Keough, Olivia Munn, Jennifer Hudson, Skyfall's Naomie Harris, and Princess Olympia of Greece.

In a growing trend of this fashion week, Kors also offers instant gratification: A number of items directly from the runway are now for sale at MichaelKors.com. Customers can also request items from Kors stores in Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.

Pieces include a feather-embroidered cashmere skirt ($1,795), feather-embroidered cashmere shell ($1,595), hand-knit oversized tweed cashmere cardigan ($2,695), silver studded cashmere crewneck sweater ($1,295), and an assortment of shoes and handbags.

Michael Kors powder blue floral intasaria mink jacket, powder blue hand-knit cable mohair sweater, fawn tattersall stretch poplin shirt, and navy double face crepe broadcloth slit skirt.

Michael Kors fall 2016 collection look 6

Photo courtesy of Michael Kors

Michael Kors powder blue floral intasaria mink jacket, powder blue hand-knit cable mohair sweater, fawn tattersall stretch poplin shirt, and navy double face crepe broadcloth slit skirt.

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Fashion on display

Rare Halston fashion exhibition now on display in unlikely Texas city

Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen Noël Art Museum

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

A rare exhibition honoring fashion pioneer Halston has popped up in an unexpected place: West Texas. Dallas fashionistas who are fans of the designer can make a five-hour pilgrimage to Odessa’s newly revamped Ellen Noël Art Museum to view "Halston: Inventing American Fashion."

Halston’s minimalistic fashions are rarely the subjects of retrospectives, although the designer’s dramatic life story recently had a pop-cultural resurgence through a 2021 Ryan Murphy miniseries. "Halston: Inventing American Fashion" assesses the talent that made him a household name.

Known now for outfitting 1970s icons like Liza Minelli and Bianca Jagger, Halston changed the international reputation of American sportswear as part of the famous 1973 “Battle of Versailles” fashion show, holding his own against Paris’ most lauded couturiers. His uniquely louche style still influences contemporary brands like Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, and Tom Ford, who was briefly the creative director for a revised Halston label.

The mannequins in the Odessa display are outfitted with 75 ensembles from flowing Ultrasuede daywear to more dramatic draped gowns. The pieces “illustrate how Halston revolutionized fashion by prioritizing comfort, confidence, and modern femininity,” according to a release.

Although Odessa may seem an odd choice for the show, Halston had deep Texas connections. After he moved on from hat making, Amarillo millionaire Estelle Marsh was his sole backer willing to fund his first Madison Avenue boutique.

$Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum, Odessa, new facade.$ The new facade at Ellen Noël Art MuseumPhoto courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

$Halston: Inventing American Fashion exhibit Ellen No\u00ebl Art Museum$

Photo courtesy of Ellen Noël Art Museum

An colorful eveningwear grouping takes advantage of Ellen Noël Art Museum's curved walls.

And the recently completed renovation of Odessa's Ellen Noël Art Museum has some of the designer’s signature sleek. Designed by architect R.J. Lopez, the renovation includes new galleries and improved circulation, but the centerpiece is a striking transparent façade, replacing the original brick of the 1985 building.

“The renovation project has been over 10 years in the making and in the construction phase for the past two years,” says the museum’s buildings manager, Steve Patton, via a release. “The completion of the project has resulted in an incredible facility that is a shining star in West Texas, offering programs and exhibits that will be a destination point for people all over the world!”

"Halston: Inventing American Fashion" will run through March 22. Admission to the Ellen Noël Art Museum is free.

exhibits odessa fashion west texas museums designer texas