Michael Kors goes for the retro look at fashion week with whimsical collection

Models walk the runway finale at the Michael Kors show. Photo by Anton Oparin / Shutterstock.com.

NEW YORK—With embroidered flowers, retro plaids and classic A-line dresses, Michael Kors went back decades for a dreamy collection that could have been classified as “I Love Lucy” chic.

Actually, Kors himself called it “optimistic chic”—clothes that inspire cheer in a dour world.

“It’s a crazy world right now; you know, we look at the headlines, and it’s pretty tough out there.

And I think that spring time … it’s a time that people do feel more optimistic and I think that if you put something on that kind of have some charm to it I think it changes your spirits,” he said Wednesday an interview before his collection debuted.

There was plenty of whimsy and charm in his spring 2015 collection, which debuted to a packed crowd that included Heidi Klum, Jessica Chastain, Mary J. Blige and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Flowers played a leading role—sewn on in colour on solid prints, embroidered on linen, and skirts and dresses with incredibly intricate designs.

Some looks were decidedly sexier than what Lucy would have worn; the sheer skirt trend continued here with organza skirts (though intricate flower designs prevented one from seeing too much). There was also a sheer white linen pullover paired with a conservative linen A-line skirt.

Kors also mixed in suede in a jacket and skirt, denim and canvas; there was single-breasted coat in a bright sunny yellow, patterned skirt suits and sexy plaid dresses that looked red-carpet ready.

But it was all very wearable for the typical woman—a Kors quality that even his celebrity fans lauded.

“That’s what I love about it.

Anybody can wear it. He has a little something for everybody.

I think that he is one of the most versatile designers that we have,” said Pinkett Smith.

Chastain lauded his “casual elegance.”

“I like that he designs clothes for real women and that it’s easy to move from day wear to evening wear,” she said.

Though Kors said many of his A-list admirers are his muses, he said they had more in common with the everyday woman than some may think.

“And the variety of women who are in the public eye, you know, who wear Michael Kors … it’s a range of women who do different things, different ages different body types and height,” he said. “The one thing is they’re all busy, they all know themselves, they travel and they want it all and it’s my job to do that for them.”