Tory's New Career
More than 18 months ago, Tory Burch was a former fashion publicist turned stay-at-home mom wondering whether she should start a new career.
Fast forward to May 19, when the New York–based designer and retailer opened her second Tory By TRB store on the glamorous 140 block of South Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Celebrities such as legendary supermodel Cheryl Tiegs, Nicky Hilton and actress Kristen Davis helped celebrate at the crowded soiree, where most of the women seemed to be wearing Burch’s popular tunic shirt. Burch designed the store with California in mind. It’s in a Palm Springs–style decor of walls lined with mirrors and sunny orange panels, a look she co-created with architect Daniel Romauldez.
Burch left a successful career as a fashion publicist in 1998 to start a family with husband Christopher Burch, a venture capitalist. When she wanted to go back to work, she chose not to jump back into the publicity field, where she had worked for companies such as Ralph Lauren. Rather, she decided to start her own company, where she works as founder and designer and her husband serves as chief executive officer.
She designs clothes with classic looks from the 1960s and 1970s, but makes them her own through details. She puts her stamp on the tunic shirt by embellishing it with vintage-inspired rhinestones. She opened a New York store in February and her clothes were shown on a recent episode of “Oprah.” Burch confessed to having some trepidation about starting her own company, but she knew she made the right choice after watching her friends react to her line. “They wore it once, they wore it again, and they kept wearing it.” —Andrew Asch
