Slideshow: Kenneth Cole Collection and Kenneth Cole New York, Fall 2012

Last night, in a gallery in far West Chelsea, editors and journalists were invited to view Kenneth Cole's fall presentation. The designer is one of the enduring linchpins that helped establish New York City as a major fashion player in the world scene, so it's fitting that he used the vibrant, gritty, and glamorous nature of street life as the starting point for this collection. Presented in a darkened gallery space with the walls lined in larger-than-life video screens, viewers could stand in front of the displays (under a hanging microphone) and watch the digitized models saunter and pose, before spouting a pithy mantra--a KC brand specialty. In addition to his signature line, Cole also debuted Kenneth Cole New York, which maintained the same level of quality, modernity, and effortless polish which has become his calling card over the years. Sleek, sexy leathers were contrasted with decadent, wooly knits and shorn pony hair. While there were many desirable goodies, wool biker jacket with leather sleeves, roomy leather pants, oxblood-red shoes and boots, a gray baseball-esque jacket and a ponyhair bomber had us drooling. Check out the video below, and our slideshow of the collection (plus accessories) here.