'The next big thing'
Tory Burch's designs have landed on 'Oprah' and in a Mariah Carey video
Tory Burch has three sons, three stepdaughters, three houses, and a resume that includes working the fashion gamut -- from Harper's Bazaar to Ralph Lauren and luxury conglomerate LVMH, the parent company of Louie Vuitton. Her Upper East Side closets, as one might expect of such a woman, are gorged with an equally expansive wardrobe, ranging from H&M to Prada, and, of course, vintage pieces from her mother and grandmother.
She's always camera-ready when she attends the many public appearances at rarefied social and charitable events in New York, and her eclectic style has been well documented by fashion magazines and other media, the likes of which extended to a middle-America runway on the ''Oprah Winfrey" show last week, as well as the latest Mariah Carey video.
In fact, it seems that on any given day, women across the globe might stare into their closets and sigh, ''what would Tory wear?"
Well, as of today, the sartorially challenged need only get themselves to Saks Fifth Avenue in Boston to find out.
The store, which is trying to freshen its image, will host Burch and unveil Tory by TRB, her new clothing line that launched last season at Bergdorf Goodman in New York. The brand is also carried at
Burch, a University of Pennsylvania art history major and a Main Line Philadelphian, says her style is ''definitely classic, with a nod to the '60s and '70s, but modernized and with a lot of detailing, whether it's bohemian or ethnic. There's a lot of novelty."
Prices for Tory by TRB range from about $40 for an embellished tank top to nearly $1,000 for an evening gown or the antique-rhinestone tunic that Carey wears in her music video. Oprah, who featured Burch as ''the next big thing in fashion," is partial to the tops. The line's average price is about $300. The collection also includes candles, shoes, and handbags, though not in Boston, and she's already thinking about other home goods, fragrance, and eyewear.
''I design things that I like and I would wear," she says. ''It's about easy pieces. . . . It's almost like wardrobe building. As far as trends, I love fashion, and I love trends but we're trying to do our own thing and design what we like at that moment."
Most of Burch's fashion experience -- aside from shopping -- came from the business, advertising, and public relations side of the trade. But she's married to venture capitalist Christopher Burch, who, with a $2,000 investment, launched the popular 1980s clothing line Eagle's Eye. That company, when sold in 1999, was reportedly valued at $60 million. Tory is founder and creative director of Tory by TRB; Christopher is chairman and CEO.
Burch, 38, said she began conceptualizing the company shortly before Sept. 11, 2001, and then put the concept on hold for about a year. But with all her financial capabilities, fashion training, and connections -- she has on board a good friend who helped launch Old Navy and knows the complexities of dealing with factories in China -- the line is clearly not the dabbling of a dilettante.
''I found it hard to find great pieces that weren't necessarily trendy that you could wear season after season but were classic . . . unusual mixes of color and color itself," she says. ''The classic trench, the great short." The spring line, now available at Saks, includes brightly printed shirts, short jackets, jeans (she partnered with Habitual), pants with detailing at the waist, caftans, and embroidered linen tunics.
The brand has clothing for spring, fall, resort, and holiday -- a weighty design responsibility.
''I sleep very little," she says. ''I put the children to bed, and then I get to work."
Lucky for her, night here is a productive time in China.
Tory Burch will be at Saks Fifth Avenue in Boston this evening from 6 to 8 for a cocktail reception in the contemporary department on the store's main level. The event is open to the public. Her website is www.toryltd.com. 