Tory Burch is a dog lover and her beloved miniature poodles, Chicken and Slim, both have their own Instagram accounts. But cats and bunnies took the spotlight in her new resort collection. Burch admired the animal portraits of 87 year-old German artist Walter Schels and approached him for this project. With its mouth open and eyes sparkling, the cat captures something of our frenetic age.
Burch herself is always on the move, which is probably why she’s been leaning towards stretchy fabrics and a slim, almost athletic figure lately. At her spring runway last September, she introduced a modular concept, combining a stretch top and bandeau skirt with cropped pants, or a stretch top with a partially opaque, partially sheer skirt. For resort, there was a dress that recreated the colorblocking of those looks—again, with massive impact, but the overall look couldn’t have been simpler. The deep-V sweater here with a sheer turtleneck does the same thing: You get layering in one perfect piece. (Unlike traditional dickeys, they’re not removable.)
“I wanted clean lines,” Burch said at a showroom appointment. This translates into an aerodynamic jersey tee and monochrome white or navy narrow skirt accented with just a studded belt, or a leather handkerchief top with more silver studs worn with masculine straight-leg pants. The cut is minimal, without any visible hardware.
Simple yet sexy is the message behind three special dresses inspired by tutus. Combining a stretch-tulle bodice with a flowing skirt that drapes from curved underwire, they don’t cling to the body, but seem to float above it. Pair them with skimmer flats, and Burch seemed to be returning to the point she’s been driving home for years, where comfort and glamour, for the designer, go hand in hand.
