Two very different kinds of royal women came to mind during Tory Burch’s flowy, feminine and delightfully retro New York Fashion Week show on Friday morning.
The first was Lee Radziwill, the socialite sister of former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, whose “effortless style” helped inspire Burch’s fall/winter 2018 collection, according to the show notes.
And the second was Duchess Kate, who has made Burch’s effortlessly feminine designs a staple of her wardrobe, and whose brightly-colored floral formalwear during the royals’ recent Norway trip shared much in common with the designs on the runway Friday.
Burch is the latest designer to cite Radziwill, now 84, as a muse, a woman who palled around with Yves Saint Laurent and Marc Jacobs and inspired Michael Kors’ February 2016 Fashion Week show.
“It was a light reference to Lee Radziwill,” Burch told Vogue about her collection. “I know her very well. I like her character and her wit and her resilience. Obviously I like her style but I didn’t want to reference it too literally.”
Set amid rows of pink carnations in imitation grass, highlights of Friday’s show included the sumptuous fabrics and caftan-esque silhouettes, accessorized by patterned silk scarves and booties with just enough lift to escape the kitten-heel category.