Tory Burch’s New Take On Chic

Tory Burch scored what was perhaps the most impressive venue at NYFW so far: the new Gilder Center for Science, Education and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History. With its soaring, swooping, undulating walls and ceiling, the space felt both subterranean and extraterrestrial. Burch countered the imposing space with a collection that felt reassuring. The designer was thinking about what effortless means now. And her solution was “clothing that frees up space in your mind.” Specifically, that meant ultra lightweight materials, modular tailoring, and a way of creating shapely volumes and structures through fabric manipulation rather than heavy padding.

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There was a Sixties spirit to the whole affair, in the sense that lines were clean and sharp. Many of the silhouettes also come much abbreviated, which added to the Swinging vibes. The show opened with a very streamlined jacket—no collars, no lapels—in a subtly shimmering technical jersey material; under it was a short and slightly poufy skirt. Worn with flat T-strap sandals, the look was dressy, but not overdone. 

Some of the modular tailoring came in the form of pieces that could be worn as either jackets or capes. Burch has always played with the masculine/feminine tension. This season, that found a new expression through jackets and dresses that were both stark and womanly at the same time—they were cut sharp as a men’s suit, but forgiving as a tunic, with plunging U-necklines. Some of them came overlaid with a smaller chainmail tunic adorned with dozens of tiny bells. The sound they produced evoked the ritual of meditation. 

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There was also softness, mainly in the form of draped goddess dresses turned into micro-minis. These were an effective counterpoint to the collection’s more severe lines. The flow of the draping seemed to echo the curved surfaces of the Gilder Center. Best of all, they didn’t look costumey—especially when worn with Birk-like flats, or as one look was, paired with a parka in the same sandy hue. 

Some of the best examples of the effortlessness that Burch wanted to capture were also her simplest propositions. For instance, the slim-fitted polos in nylon taffeta worn with easy mannish trousers, or the low-slung bermudas paired with densely printed or textured polos. A white jacket ruched and gathered to create the illusion of a bodice was feminine without being fussy. Other high notes include the pair of double dresses towards the end—printed, beaded slips under those bells-on-chainmail, both layers in elegant midi lengths. 

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