It was only April when the Costume Institute’s upcoming theme was announced, but already the two-part exhibition on American Fashion seems to be reverberating. Some designers are namechecking Seventh Avenue legends at resort appointments, others have been touting the value of utility and versatility. Discussing her new collection Tory Burch spoke of fashion that “solves problems.” There was a time not so long ago when a phrase like that might’ve been considered uncool. No longer.
Burch leavened the problem-solving with holiday sparkle and whimsical prints, in the form of easy-wearing pleated lamé separates and a t-shirt dress with art nouveau swans drifting across it. But the clever functionality she built into this season’s clothes is the big story here, be it in the form of the adjustable volume and length of the dotty black-and-white skirt in the lookbook opener, or a removable mint green ruffle on the polo-neck midi dress that appears several clicks later. Fine rib knits feature detachable velvet collars and a shirtdress boasts an easy on-or-off big velvet bow. She called a dusty pink velvet shirt bonded with metal foil so that its proportions can be similarly manipulated a favorite. Other pieces are reversible, including a quilted navy satin blouson jacket lined in ivory.
All this versatility will translate into value in her new Mercer Street flagship—after pandemic-related delays, it’s scheduled to open with New York Fashion Week this September—but Burch doesn’t see this as a one-season thing. “I’ve really thought a lot about it: How do you use different silhouettes in different ways to make things easier? Women still love fashion and want to make it their own. Helping them on that journey? I’m getting more and more into that.”
