When you utter the words ‘American fashion’ it won’t take long until the name ‘Tory Burch’ pops into your head. For almost two decades, Burch’s signature brand of high-glamour sporty prep has been beloved by women from coast to coast, including that cross-generational crowd that sat perched front row at her latest runway show: Uma Thurman, Katie Holmes, Devon Lee Carlson, Aimee Lou Wood. But for fall winter 2022, Burch seemingly had one city on her mind: the collection was an extended Valentine’s Day love letter to New York City, and to the women who live there. 

Staged on the 25th floor of the Hudson Commons, models walked down a runway that was illuminated by the iconic neon red ‘The New Yorker’ hotel sign. First opened in 1930, the Art Deco hotel is a local landmark, so much so that Burch helped fund the restoration of its iconic signage ahead of the new collection launch. It was an apt backdrop for a collection inspired by the street style of New York locals, many of whom have been embracing a no holds barred, unapologetically ‘extra’ approach to fashion in the months since lockdown.

Tory Burch Fall Winter 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: A model walks the runway during Tory Burch Fall/Winter 2022 New York Fashion Week on February 14, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Tory Burch)

“I see women in New York taking more risks, they’re more creative with the way they put themselves together,” Burch told press backstage. “I feel people cannot wait to go out again and experience joy.” She also revealed that photographs from the late, great street style photographer Bill Cuningham were on her moodboard—particularly shots from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. It should come as no surprise that Cunningham’s images served as inspiration for a collection dedicated to optimism and expression: he had an unparalleled ability to capture women off-guard, when they were looking relaxed and joyful. Burch herself put it more succinctly: “they feel free.” 

Cunningham himself would no doubt have relished in the runway looks from Burch’s new collection: tech-knit tracksuits came with bold yellow sports stripes, outerwear was playful, voluminous and oversized, and knitwear came shrunken with playful geometric prints. Puffy bubble-hemmed shantung skirts were an unexpected addition, paired with clingy knits or crisp deconstructed shirting. The undisputed highlights were the closing looks: high-necked, long-sleeved jersey dresses cut on the bias, finished with geometric block prints in fun shades of magenta, neon yellow, and chartreuse. Watching the chic crowd pile onto the New York City streets after the show finished it was clear that New York street style is officially back in full swing. May we never trade it for sweatpants and loungewear again.

Tory Burch Fall Winter 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: A model walks the runway during Tory Burch Fall/Winter 2022 New York Fashion Week on February 14, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Tory Burch)
Tory Burch Fall Winter 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: A model walks the runway during Tory Burch Fall/Winter 2022 New York Fashion Week on February 14, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Tory Burch)
Tory Burch Fall Winter 2022
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 14: A model walks the runway during Tory Burch Fall/Winter 2022 New York Fashion Week on February 14, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for Tory Burch)