Tory Burch photographed her new collection at Hancock Shaker Village in western Massachusetts. She explained that the Shaker dictum, “beauty rests in utility,” was a guiding principle as she developed the new offering with her team. Speaking over Zoom, Burch described the early months of the pandemic and her slow acclimation back to office life as a renewal of sorts. “It occurred to me that I hadn’t had time to reflect in 15 years, since I launched the company.” With her husband, Pierre-Yves Roussel, as CEO, Burch has re-devoted herself to design and product.
Whether it’s the Tory effect, the changes wrought by lockdown, fashion’s general drift toward minimalism, or all three, there’s a noticeable shift in Burch’s collection, a streamlining that has meant the elimination of some of the sweeter flourishes of TB outings past in favor of cleaner, crisper lines, and a more reduced sensibility. It’s useful to compare spring’s Look One with a dress of similar neckline and silhouette worn by Natalia Vodianova on Burch’s most recent runway. For fall, the dress came with flower embroidery on the sleeves and a pleated skirt. This season, the only decorative element on the cotton voile dress is its contrast trim. It’s also worth mentioning, per the Shaker’s “beauty in utility” concept, that the collar is removable.
“Women don’t want complicated clothing right now,” Burch said. In response, she’s pairing truly special white shirts with relaxed black pants, giving the trousers of a pinstripe suit a pull-on waistband, and cutting shirt dresses and caftans in generous proportions to increase their ease of wear. She hasn’t entirely given up ornamentation, but more often than not, it’s reserved for accessories: a tasseled macramé belt, a colorful printed twill scarf, a reversible leather market bag.
“People are shopping, we still need to dream,” Burch said, reasoning that “we’re in a place of uncertainty and we need to see a future that’s different from being in lockdown.” Exactly what next spring will bring is in question; uncertainty could be with us indefinitely. Burch’s thoughtful collection meets the moment.
