Tory Burch Gets Twisted for Fall
Right now, designers love to talk about classics. They opine on the values of timelessness and the virtuousness of American sportswear, but all of those things have no real meaning unless they’re evolved. Classics need to be reworked to fit our realities now. In 2025, most women aren’t wearing, say, full suits with shoulder pads in a classic pinstripe to work, as cool as they may look on a runway. No one understands this reality better than Tory Burch, a woman who invented a modern-meets-classic American wardrobe that has constantly evolved over time.
Last night, inside the Marron Family Atrium at the Museum of Modern Art, Burch moved the needle once again. Her show was set on two levels, with the upper section seated in a space that had a giant screen as a backdrop displaying an aerial live stream of the runway and the audience. The music began, with a soundtrack that included a song from Charlotte Adigéry and Bolis Pupul called “Haha,” in which you hear creepy giggles over a techno beat—delirious music for a delightful collection of classics turned upside down.
Twisted is the word Burch used to describe it all. These are clothes made for women who want their clothes to say something, to convey intelligence and sophistication without snobbery. You’d envy the person walking into the office wearing Burch’s frayed tweed tunic, belted and worn over a navy A-line skirt in the same fabric. On the street, all eyes would turn to someone in the Japanese brushed-jersey track pants and the cardigans with arm holes cut out so the sleeves hang loose or can be pinned across the bodice. The same goes for the brown padded coat wrapped just so around the waist and secured with a pin.
Burch noted backstage after the show that she found inspiration for the pins in old photos of Madeleine Albright. “You could always tell what she was thinking or doing by the pins she wore,” Burch said. The designer is very good at creating these kinds of subtle nuances with her clothes, mixing in the literal with the figurative, so the results never feel too contrived. You really saw that in the twisty silhouettes of Burch’s lady dresses this season. One in particular was worn off the shoulder and paired with what will no doubt be her hit shoe for fall: a classic little strappy heel, 1950s-style with a curvy ankle strap. The accessories overall were sharp, especially the elongated, inside-out tote bags with multiple pockets, slips, and key holders at the front.
I asked Burch about the mouse print on a lavender silk dress with cutouts and, elsewhere, on the ankle of some of the tights the models wore. “I have a little mouse in my office named Weasel,” she said, laughing. Mouse homage included, this was a strong collection for Burch and a testament to the importance of pushing the archetypes of American sportswear design further and further into the future. As she explained, “I love sportswear, and I’m amazed that it was created here. We should celebrate that.” She added, “I think women are really redefining classics for themselves today, and they want things that will last. I wanted each piece to be coveted enough that you’ll keep it forever.”
Burch went on to gush about the pieces in the collection that she’ll keep and wear forever— those like the track pants and a shaggy navy jacket with exaggerated long sleeves, which she said was her favorite coat they’ve ever made. For a designer who has been in business for more than 20 years, Burch’s curiosity has continued to grow exponentially. She has a vision for the future of fashion in this country, one that gives some of that curiosity back to wearers to interpret for themselves, twists, turns, and all.
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