A Mix of Versality

Tory Burch’s spring/summer 2022 collection is inspired by Claire McCardell’s ingenuity and her legacy of American sportswear which revolutionized the way women dress. The collection reflects these then-radical ideas with a mix of versatility, function, integrity and joy. There are striking contrasts of colour, print and fabric. There’s also chiffon and linen, jerseys and broderie anglaise, dresses collaged in picnic and Madras plaids, engineered stripes and solids, and colour-blocked reversible jersey tops. Waists are softly defined with broad belts, long sashes and tech-knit bandeaus, balanced by the proportion of full skirts and relaxed trousers. There is a delicate tension between the retro and the modern. Joyful, unexpected combinations of red, fuchsia, lavender, blue, green and chartreuse on the colour palette of the season bring bold and bright mixes that you wouldn’t normally put together; but here it works. The collection is part of Tory Burch’s ongoing partnership with the Maryland Center for History and Culture, which houses McCardell’s personal archives.