Tory Burch - Tory Burch: In Color

Damien Hirst, Beautiful Primal Urges Rug, 2014

TORY BURCH
IN COLOR

FOREWORD BY ANNA WINTOUR

EDITED BY NANDINI DSOUZA WOLFE

Abrams, New York

For my children, my brothers and my parents, Buddy and Reva

CONTENTS

My twins, Nicholas and Henry, in an outtake from a Vogue shoot with Franois Halard, 2004.

FOREWORD

BY ANNA WINTOUR

Tory first entered Vogues orbit 15 years ago, a very stylish young Manhattan mother about town with a strong, personal take on all-American style.

We very soon discovered, however, that she is far more than a beautiful, culturally aware New Yorkershes also an influential tastemaker, and a brilliant businesswoman who has since applied her taste and serious work ethic to building and sustaining a billion-dollar brand.

Tory has always been family-oriented. Early on, we celebrated the dynamic interiors that shed put together in Southampton and on Fifth Avenuehomes that were brilliantly colored, formal yet quirky and filled with treasuresand I remember being struck by how essentially child-friendly they were. Ive always loved the image of Torys youngest son, Sawyer, on his tricycle in the familys cavernous marble entrance hall in their apartment at the Pierre Hotel, and the one of her twin boys, Nick and Henry, playing with their bows and arrows on the silk velvet sofa in their living room.

At the start, very few people knew that as Tory was juggling the demands of motherhoodwith an extended family of six children!she was also hatching a very focused plan to launch her eponymous fashion line.

From the very beginning, Tory had a powerful vision for her brand, with a signature as emphatic and appealing as that of a modern-day Lilly Pulitzer. Rooted in the hip, Sixties style of her beloved parents, her vibrant aesthetic soon crossed effortlessly from fashion and accessories into different fields, including home and fragrance. It was an immediate successTory sold 300,000 pairs of those buckled ballet slippers (named for her mother, Reva, naturally) in the first year alone.

And why not? Who wouldnt want to be Tory Burch? Shes admirable in so many ways. She is charming and shes humble, shes a fantastic mother and a devoted friend, and shes proved herself to be, quite simply, a truly sensational businesswoman.

Tory has an innate sense of decorum, but that doesnt mean she isnt the life of the party. This is a woman whose cool exterior hides a wicked sense of humor and a great sense of fun. And dont let her polite manner fool youwhen Tory sets out to do something, she is not only fiercely determined and completely hands-on, she thoroughly engages with every detail. And while she may be low-key about her philanthropy, its reach is incredibly impactful. Through the Tory Burch Foundation, she empowers American women with small loans, mentorship and entrepreneurial education.

Theres no doubt that Tory is a true role model for our time. But perhaps what I admire most about her is the way she keeps a sense of balance. She enjoys being a mother, she enjoys her success and all that comes with it, but above all, she keeps life in perspective. And thats a talent that any of us can appreciate.

INTRODUCTION

I SEE THE WORLD IN COLOR. Its the first thing I notice. I am drawn to the way colors interact with and complement one another The subtle variations within the same shade: navy, cornflower and periwinkle or orange, mandarin and coral. Living in full color is my guiding principlefrom the way I raise my children to the way I approach my work.

Huck Finn meets Andy Warhol is how my brother Jamie describes our Kodachrome childhood. My parents, Buddy and Reva Robinson, raised my brothers Robert, Jamie, Leonard and me on a farm in Valley Forge, at the end of the Main Line in Pennsylvania. They taught us to embrace differences in people and ideas and to surround ourselves with beauty and imagination. Even our family dinners every night were as special as they were with gueststable linens, tureens and flowers. On any given day, there was always a wide spectrum of people at our home: sculptors, interior designers, artists, poets, actors, musicians, first (and second) cousins and a slew of school friends. My parents were adventurers who took six-week journeys to Greece, Italy, Morocco and India. On these trips they collected lifelong friends and beautiful things. Their enthusiasm and wanderlust rubbed off on all of us.

I love the in-between moments, when you think no one is looking. Photos by Martien Mulder, 2011.

When I was an art history major at the University of Pennsylvania, my sense of color was refined by studying Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Ellsworth Kelly and Josef Albers. When I started working in fashion, I learned from an incredible group of designers and business leaders: Zoran, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Narciso Rodriguez and, of course, the team at Tory Burcheach colorful in his or her unique way.

This book is a kaleidoscope of those influences and experiences, told through images and stories of the people, places, things and ideas that inspire me. While 256 pages (an auspicious number that our company feng shui master, Mr. Yung Siu, suggested) isnt enough to cover all the shades and combinations I love, the following 11 colors represent the ones that mean the most to me.