Part of fashion week’s allure is guessing a show’s theme like a sartorial game of Clue—carefully piecing together hints from flowery collection titles and three-second TikToks. While some may lament the never-ending “hype-ification,” when the clues are done right, the payoff of a correct guess (or a surprise reveal no one saw coming) is all the more satisfying. Tory Burch’s latest NYFW showcase promised to make a splash—literally. The invitation featured abstract, mermaid-esque art, while the brand’s social media accounts teased underwater imagery in the hours leading up to the Monday night show.
Once inside the venue—Brooklyn’s glass-walled Skylight at the Refinery, overlooking the East River—the aquatic inspiration was truly undeniable. Mint-green mosaic tiles covered the floor and walls of the penthouse space, such that attendees arriving during a glittering golden hour were transported to the bottom of a spacious pool.
With the show kicking off shortly after sunset, the stars’ arrival was all but inevitable (in the sky and in their chauffeured black cars, too, of course). In the front row were the expected array of A-listers, including Jodie Turner-Smith, Elizabeth Olsen, and Michelle Williams. Among the other TB fans who turned out for the highly anticipated NYFW presentation were YuQi, Ella Emhoff, Charlotte Lawrence, Team USA gymnast Suni Lee, and Maude Apatow—the face of the brand’s recent “Animal House” capsule collection. Lee’s attendance felt especially relevant, given the contents of the namesake designer’s brief show notes. In them, Burch shared that “[the] collection began with the essence of sport: power and grace, precision and freedom.”
Guests packed into bleachers and benches, ready to take the plunge with a brand that has been on an upward swing since last year. Even those on the periphery of fashion have witnessed the dawn of the Toryssance—so termed because the classic label is enjoying a resurgence as a fashion-forward favorite, some 20 years after its founding. From the ballet flats and hoop skirts to the inescapable Kira bag, TB’s signature preppy styles have rejoined the mainstream. High expectations floated around the coterie of fashion’s trend predictors and tastemakers, who seemed to hold their breath in unison as the lights dimmed and Burch’s latest show began.
The arbiter of refined Americana took attendees for a dive in the glamorous end of the pool—avoiding the shallow waters of cliche subaquatic-fashion tropes and instead tapping into the singular glory of summer days spent sipping, strutting, and tanning by crystal blue waters. The vibrant SS25 collection featured allusions blatant and subtle: sequined and sleek nylon swimsuits were tucked into flowy trousers; models’ hair was slicked back for the expected fresh-from-the-pool wet look; fringed white skirts evoked drifts of seafoam; sheer, wool gauze shirts emulated the look of a fish’s rippled gills while nodding to the clinging transparency of a wet shirt. Pops of red-orange and a purplish cobalt heightened the dolce vita, Italian-vacay vibes that permeated the collection.
There was certainly no shortage of “grace, precision and freedom” as Burch’s signature modern elegance shined across the collection’s 38 looks. Colorful chenille sweaters and expertly tailored jackets tugged a retro chord on the surface that reverberated as contemporary. Trendy details from past decades, like thick vertical stripes and color blocking, were refreshed for a glossy summer yet to be. That iconic ballet flat also made an appearance alongside many twisted-heel pumps. Far from floundering, TB glided smoothly past the high expectations it nurtured during peak Toryssance. If every pool’s smattering of patrons were this stylish, no one would want to leave the water.