Look one of Tory Burch’s 2024 resort collection is a molded stretch cotton T-shirt with a photo-realistic image of a cat face splashed across the front, paired with sleek white cargo pants, square-toe ballet flats with cutouts over the big toes, and bangle bracelets.
This chic cat lady epitomizes the new direction Burch has been taking in her collections of late, elevating the brand with minimalist, versatile pieces in sensual fabrications, plus some surprises — in this case a new take on animal prints incorporating work by German photographer Walter Schels.
“I started thinking about animals as our heroes,” said Burch, whose pet poodles Chicken and Slim have their own Instagram account, naturally. “I could imagine myself becoming that person,” she said of some day having a large menagerie. “My dogs are my therapy.”
Alas, there are no dogs, but there is an abstracted bunny on a box-pleat skirt, and an allover print on a pair of cotton canvas pants that Burch calls “angry cat.” Ha!
Both are covetable, collectible pieces — fun but a bit fierce. They catch you off guard, which is what’s making the brand one to watch.
“I really was focusing a lot on silhouette, form and volume, finding ways that give structure but are also weightless and allow movement,” Burch said, running through the tightly edited lineup of body-conscious tops and dresses mixing sheer and opaque fabrics, including a white summer-in-the-city dress with short sleeves and a mock neck, in a viscose crepe that’s intentionally twisted.
Burch has been exploring lingerie a lot lately, too, and here uses an underwire to shape the waist of a balletic-looking sheer white tulle bubble dress with bra top underneath. Other looks mix power mesh and sheer tulle in color-blocked longline silhouettes that are sexy in a ’90s way.
The designer wanted some fabrics that aren’t what they appear, like a glossy black jacket that looks like leather but is actually chintz viscose, and a silvery fish scale-textured rock ‘n’ roll halter top and pants that represent a softer take on studding.
“I wanted to do studding that looked a bit reptilian,” the designer explained, also pointing to a low-slung wide studded belt that would be a closet hero. It was worn with several looks, including a sleek navy pencil skirt and molded mock neck top, and chocolate brown box pleat skirt and two-tone cotton viscose all-in-one dickey shirt.
“I remember these belts, and I feel like they need to come back,” Burch said, sharing how instinct guides her. “I was missing that concept of what will be a little more bohemian in the future.”
