April 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on Monday it was suing to block Coach parent Tapestry's $8.5 billion deal to buy Michael Kors owner Capri.

"If allowed, the deal would eliminate direct head-to-head competition between Tapestry's and Capri's brands," the FTC said in a statement. (Reporting by Jasper Ward; writing by Costas Pitas; Editing by David Ljunggren)