One glance at the florid wallpaper that set the stage for Tory Burch’s latest runway show, and the mood was set. This is ornate Art Nouveau style at it’s most modernized and subtle. After nine years in the business (and after proving all the naysayers wrong), Tory is a seasoned designer in her own right.
After the show, I had the pleasure of taping an interview with the lovely Ms. Burch. She told me she feels more comfortable than ever as of late, and this newfound confidence is evident in the Fall/Winter collection.

More self-assurance also means more opulence in Burch’s world, though the easy silhouettes and unarguable wearability of the mix-and-match pieces (in a way, her trademark) haven’t gone anywhere. This is Tory Burch embellished. With fanciful dragonflies inspired by Laique and hypnotic beetle-print silk, there’s an antique charm to the patterns, but the clothes are thoroughly new millennium. Not to mention romantic: intricate beading on tweed coats, bright embroideries, silk-satin blouses, and floral-shredded dresses…And then they are the bags. I was quite taken with a beautifully beaded hard-case minaudiere worthy of a Wharton heroine. Decadent yet subdued seems to be Tory’s strong suit; she’s an expert at walking the balance.