The Beauty Within

Tory Burch on how clothes can effect change and social impact in her world of fashion.

- Gerald Tan

Going by New York’s standards, it couldn’t have been a more perfect September morning. The cloudless sky was a perfect shade of blue, and the cool of the morning air refreshed the senses with vitality. It was on this day that Tory Burch staged her spring/summer 2018 show, and the American designer cleverly brought everyone to the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Museum, where the sunshine that saturated the greens surrounding the garden proved there’s no better backdrop than nature.

The clothes dazzled too, with the collection easily qualifying as Burch’s strongest since she launched her namesake empire from a small store in Manhanttan’s NoLita district. “Graphic motifs have always resonated with me,” Burch said via email after the show, where she continued her mastery of prints by incorporating the genius of the late David Hicks into her designs. Travel is a constant source of inspiration for Burch; the colourful turnout of patterned silk dresses, caftans and tunics stoked the wanderlust spirit.