When Tory Burch showed off her pre-fall collection, she told the audience that she wanted to think about reality and then dream. “The truth about how women want to dress and how many ways they can be.” I wanted to play with proportion through the shape and the body with the mix of colorblocking fabrics and the light and airy feel of the dress. I also wanted to keep the dress lightweight and airy. This is just the idea of wearing things in different ways.
During the summer, plaids, a strong emphasis on the waist, and feminine wardrobing that was uplifting, artisanal, and refined continued to shine through before fall. The colours were a strange mix of dreamy summer brights and earthy neutrals.
Cotton fabrics were used to make full skirts and dresses with corset-like, ruched, and topstitched print-blocked waists that looked like corsets. When I was at the store, there were many different kinds of dresses. For example, there was an all-over summery plaid dress with pleats and pleats all over, a black one-shoulder frock with a subtle tie detail on the shoulder and a cut and sew tie-dyed waist. These feminine colour and print-blocked separates — structured, easy skirts and flowy, floaty blouses — added to the idea that they could be mixed and matched.
As well, I wanted to show off the beauty of the small things in a way where not everything was obvious. When you look at the clothes, you notice more and more attention to the small things. “Taking the idea of classic things and twisting it.” For the last few years, I’ve been really into the idea of things that last. I want you to be able to add things to your wardrobe that you can build and build on. It doesn’t have to be at a specific time, but it should be timeless.
Colorful technical knit bandeaus were layered over the looks, while one of them was made into a shawl-like shrug with architectural silver hardware. It was worn on top of an all-cotton poplin dress that had a lilac top, a beige skirt, and an elasticized waist with check pattern.
Also, the knit style could be worn as a simple crew neck, or it could be worn as an elongated, elevated dress, which added to the brand’s classic American sportswear and day-to-night appeal. The new lightweight, graphic preppy knits with melted logo motifs and color-contrasting technical knit skirts were also very popular. The ideas were both familiar and new because they were put together in different ways and used bold colours.
Accessories completed the collection with architectural and artisanal touches on handbags, belts, shoes, and jewellery. They included structured leather totes, woven mushroom bags, and T-blocked heels on shoes and belts, as well as leather totes that can be folded up (playful toad-shaped earrings and pendants).
It was a positive message from Burch’s pre-fall collection, with a realistic approach to dressing and just the right amount of high-end, artisanal details.
