Delightfully Eccentric. Tory Burch SS27

Of all the fashion capitals, New York seems to appreciate female designers the most. They don’t just flourish creatively here, but also seem to feel at ease. That sense of unstrained playfulness was the driving force behind Tory Burch’s spring-summer 2027 collection.

Even if the silhouettes nodded towards the 1940s – think broad shoulders and high-waisted trousers – the designer wanted to find joy in dressing up, with humor as the secret ingredient. She managed to do that effortlessly with a vintage-y pleated dress accessorized with a feather boa, or with the not-so-prim cardigans embroidered with tiny beads. Then there were scarves adorned with tortoiseshell paillettes, like the ones you might find in Chinatown and throw into an outfit simply to dial down the seriousness of everyday life.

There was something beautifully decaying about the glamour of this collection: a woman who seems aware that she should have been born in a different era, and proudly refuses to conform to the reality she’s living in. Walking the streets of New York this week, I saw many women like this – delightfully eccentric and slightly out of place, and making that their power.