The phrase “crazy busy” — insert eye roll and sigh here — defines modern life regardless of one’s industry or occupation. But quite often, the clothing on the runways looks incomprehensibly disconnected from that reality. In part, that’s because the styles that induce must-have-it salivation have nothing to do with the part of life that includes desks or meetings — or even happy hour. These clothes are for galas, red carpets, and fantasies.

Case in point: Yesterday, Peter Som showed a collection that consists mainly of artistic party frocks, and last night newcomer Pegah Anvarian sent out the sort of rock-star-withoutpants looks that only Sienna Miller can get away with. Both designers fill their niche, but someone has to make clothes that a wider audience can wear to the office or to pick up the kids — without condemnation from friends and neighbors.

What makes Michael Kors such a success is that his clothes for the average manic life have a healthy dose of sex appeal built in. Why buy a gray cashmere sweater and wool trousers from Michael Kors rather than Banana Republic? The answers are in the cut and the fabric, but also in the imagery of the brand. Michael Kors collections have the air of a laid-back, jet-set lifestyle. Throw a pair of giant sunglasses on with that grey sweater dress and you look just in from Aspen.

For fall, Mr. Kors created a smart collection heavy on cashmere, knits, and wools. Colors were mainly in shades of gray, tan, and cream, but the Michael Kors hand made those muted tones bright. A gray cashmere sweaterdress was paired with a cashgora cape in camel that made a doubly strong impact for all its simplicity.

A series of short dresses — some in flannel — were twisted or gathered as a sarong would be. The little flash of leg balanced out the preppy fabric. It’s a sleight of hand that worked several times with conservative pieces.

The touches of luxury were definitely present: A mini-dress made entirely of mink was shown with a modest gray turtleneck sweater, and a glenplaid coat featured huge sable trim at the collar and cuffs.

Surely, only a red-carpet bound star could wear the gold fringe party dress, but a heather gray jersey gown with a deep V-neck — and another in cream with a criss-cross halter neckline — will have wider appeal. The latter two recall Mr. Kors’s highly successful dress of a similar shape in white eyelet for spring. And why not? Stick with a winner.

In the vocabulary of fashion, these looks hit the goal of “effortless elegance,” which is a catchphrase that’s thrown around the way the dance world praises choreography as “intellectual” or the art community declares a painter “an artist’s artist.” Usually, something happens on the way to “effortless” that makes clothing look wildly expensive and ultra-high maintenance.

So instead of communicating ease, they communicate all the fussing and finery that are impractical — and that fail to suit modern life. Mr. Kors manages to deliver a look that, while deliberate, is liberated from the preoccupation with fashion.