“You can only control so much in your life at the moment, and one of the things you can control is the way you dress and how you look. I think that’s an incredible creative outlet. Individual creative expression is what I’m really interested in right now.”
A year ago, the experience of the pandemic led Tory Burch to Claire McCardell, a post-war designer celebrated for the chic functionality of her dresses. Fast forward to 2022—the pandemic is ongoing, there’s war in Eastern Europe, the US Congress is deadlocked over gun control, and a recession looms. The news is no better, but Burch is in a different place. She’s leaning more eccentric—freer, maybe—and it comes across in ways small and not so small in her new collection.
Starting with the details, maybe you’ve noticed the plastic charms fringing the waistline of her cropped jackets, or the parachute lining peeking from underneath her a-line skirts (it’s removable, by the way), or the lurex fuzz of her popover knits. These are the building blocks of the Tory Burch wardrobe, but they’re not square or boring. Quite the opposite.
A sense of play permeates the season, whether it’s the raffia tassels that accent the baggy cargo pants she paired with a sleeveless tweed peplum top or the two-piece dress consisting of a little wrap shirt over a yoke-waist skirt with lots of volume (padding at the hips and hem give it shape). Most experimental are a pair of party looks whose tops and skirts are cut on the round with zig-zag edges trimmed in beads. In mismatched but complementary floral prints, these outfits put the emphasis on craft and quirk. Though it’s rooted in American sportswear, with its mix-and-match possibilities, the collection wears its utility lightly. It looks like a lot of fun.
