Rediscover The Joy Of Dressing Up, With Tory Burch
Keen to channel the transformative power of fashion, the definitive American designer has imbued her latest collection with a sense of glamour and fantasy
If you were asked to list the industry’s most flamboyant fashion houses, you’d be forgiven if Tory Burch weren’t the first name that sprang to mind. After all, the reason it resonated so deeply with modern women across the world was because of the deft way Burch’s designs brought prettiness and practicality together. Wearability has been a major part of the appeal since Burch established her eponymous label in 2004 with a bricks-and-mortar store in New York’s trendy SoHo neighborhood. This season, however, Burch – who has held roles at illustrious labels including Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang and Loewe, before striking out on her own – was on a mission to imbue her signature style with added drama; and the results do not disappoint.
Feeling the sobering effects of months of utilitarian and lockdown dressing, Burch was keen to bring a sense of sartorial hope and optimism with her latest collection by adding ultra-feminine and playful flourishes to her distinctive preppy aesthetic. The ultimate goal? To help her loyal fans rediscover the joy that dressing up and fantastical fashion can bring to your everyday life. It’s worth noting that Burch designed this collection at a time when New York City was still under heavy covid-19 restrictions, and so this decision to create clothes for a time when fun was back on the agenda was a very bold statement: Burch is willing us all to see brighter days ahead. “The collection is a celebration of fantasy, conveying a renewed sense of hope, escape and, quite simply, what we want to wear when we can go out again,” explains the designer.
“Burch was keen to bring a sense of sartorial hope and optimism with her latest collection by adding ultra-feminine and playful flourishes to her distinctive preppy aesthetic
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However, true to form, Burch also made sure to prioritize comfort – something her clothes have always promised and, more recently, many women have come to put at the top of their shopping list as a key criterion. Body-sculpting tops with psychedelic prints can be worn on their own or styled with voluminous dresses and oversized tailoring. Similarly, a Fair Isle vest can be layered over a retro-style shirt and finished with blue jeans or Burch’s chic yet casual tapered jersey pants. Elsewhere, abstract Expressionist-inspired print dresses add an air of elegance to the collection. If the assortment of pieces seems unexpected, that’s because it is. By presenting these disparate yet desirable pieces together, Burch wants to underscore the fact that, in this new world, dress codes are passé and putting together a look should be about self-expression. Burch explains that to her, this collection combines ‘glamour and irreverence’, adding that, “Tulle, velvet, satin and Lurex with casual silhouettes removes any pretension or notion that something should only be worn at a certain time or in a certain way.”
It was this exact approach that put Burch on the map more than 25 years and will ensure that she stays there; and why emerging stars such as Ziwe, Maude Apatow and Gabrielle Richardson are drawn to her singular designs.