11 Things We Loved from SS26

Hello readers! NYFW is a wrap and we have almost fully processed the collection that we showed on Monday night at One Hanson Place in downtown Brooklyn. It’s taken a minute because Tory zagged against the season’s prevailing direction of spare and minimal with a line-up that requires deeper examination. This was a collection with layers! Not literally but rather layers of detail that weren’t necessarily obvious at first glance — whether the origami folds on a polo collar, the “barbed wire” hardware on pumps or the seed-beading and patina of a little cardigan. Here, our breakdown of all the looks, moments and details that deserve your attention.

Tory mentioned “femininity and strength” in our show notes. True enough, there was ample strength in the way she interpreted traditional elements of feminine style. She turned the typically prim twin set, pencil skirt and pumps into an ensemble with genuine swagger. The silk knit polo and cardigan had a just-right dose of slouch and artfully frayed edges, the straight leather skirts were slung low on the hips and those pumps had a subtly witchy proportion with an elongated toe and high vamp, plus a hardware chain inspired by the loops of barbed wire. Minus the barbs, naturally.

In their NYFW recap episode on The Run-Through with Vogue podcast, Chloe Malle, Vogue’s new head of editorial content, and Nicole Phelps, Vogue Runway executive director, mentioned one advantage of seeing shows IRL vs. on your phone: the incredible venues. Tory brought showgoers to One Hanson Place, originally the headquarters of the Williamsburgh Savings bank, a Romanesque Revival landmark. The runway looped around the marble floor of the banking room with its barrel-vaulted ceiling and gold-leaf and glass mosaics.

Sometimes you want a shoe that’s just plain pretty. (No disrespect, of course, to the freaky, the clompy, the kooky and even the presciently 'heinous-chic' styles that have tickled our fancy.) The collection’s demurely low-heeled pumps, delicately embroidered and trimmed with clusters of seed beads, pearls and crystals, fit the bill. We fell in love immediately and heard more than a few editors and Substackers also raving about them post-show.

The Sweater: The Row navy v-neck sweater.

The Pants: Tory Burch wide-leg trousers, custom-made with this SS26 material in this SS25 silhouette.

The Belt: Tory Burch plate belt (a SS26 outtake).

The Shoe: Celine’s Madame ankle boots.

There was a strong retro thread in the collection that ran through the 1920s, ’50s and ’60s. The futuristic, face-obscuring wraparounds — the kind you might have seen at a late ’90s rave — swerved the ladylike sensibility, bringing a cool frisson of tension to the looks. Also of note: the charming new eyelash branding on the temples.

The first Lee Radziwill handbag, inspired by the fashion icon’s impossibly easy elegance, debuted in 2018. Since then, the design has gone through a few evolutions, while retaining its iconic essence and signature belt. The version on the runway simply blew us away – a lighter, pared-back design with the new addition of a jewelry-like top handle with tubular grooves that were echoed in the trapunto stitched belt.

You never know who you’ll cross paths with backstage. (Click the reel for the reveal!) And that, my friends, is the beauty of a fashion show. Props to models Ida Heiner and Lulu Tenney for their extreme chill under the circumstances.

To quote an important voice of our time (Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag): “Hair is everything.” The perfectly imperfect sideswept bangs that hairstylist Guido Palau gave many of the girls — including Emrata and Betsy Gaghan – certainly went a long way in establishing the collection’s persona: She’s a woman who isn’t ensconced in a climate-controlled room but rather exposed to the elements because she’s busy living a real life. Her style is innate and she dresses according to her own individual tastes – trends be damned! “To me, she looks like a Tory girl,” Palau explained. “Kind of pulled together but with a bit of irreverence.”

This isn’t the first time in recent history that Tory has played with lean, straight trouser that’s long enough to puddle just so at the hem. (See Spring/Summer 2025.) The difference here was a decidedly low rise further defined by a hip-slung leather belt. The straight-legged cut has the slightest bit of flare and then there are the blink-and-miss extras: a piped center seam and a waistband detail that evokes a garter belt.

Monogrammed to the max. A few looks in the collection, like this navy V-neck sweater on Heija Li featured the initials and names of Tory’s entire design studio in a variety of script-like Arabesque styles. The monograms nodded to traditional sampler embroidery, creating a pattern that looks quite chic whether you’re acquainted with Tory’s very talented designers or not.

But – quite crucially – not too much. We wouldn’t call the collection maximalist but it certainly wasn’t minimal. The mix of embellishment, texture and detail was measured out just enough to lure you in, wanting to see more. When you got close, the pay-off was simply beautiful. Exhibit A: these seed-bead embroidered cardigans, mixed-media chokers and cat-eye-ish sunglasses with floral-engraved hardware.

Since we were in the grand setting of a former bank, we had money on our mind. We asked a few VIPs…

As much as we love to look ahead, what to wear for fall is a more pressing concern. It’s a given that we covet the new Lee Radziwill shoulder bag carried by VIPs. However, director Janicza Bravo opened our eyes to the possibilities of this plaid, drop-waist Tory Sport dress (technically a golf piece) — adding a sporty pullover, elfin monk straps and spiral stick pin from the Fall ’25 runway.* It reminded us that Substack fashion favorite Becky Malinsky put a chic spin on our plaid golf skirt in a recent newsletter about finding inspiration in school uniforms — what feels more capital F-fall than that?
*Editor’s note: Fall ’25 runway will be available starting October 1.

Some other things that have caught our eye – a navy nylon skirt that balances a flaring retro silhouette with a drawstring and tech-y nylon and a classic blue button-up with a fun metal clip at the pocket. In shoes, our newest penny loafer and the revamped Reva ballet. At the show, unofficial president of the Reva fan club, Liana Satenstein, solicited on-the-spot reviews. We were sold when Post Runway’s Rachel Seville Tashjian pronounced them “unexpectedly sexy” for the cut-out logo hardware.

Last but absolutely not least is the new Romy shoulder bag. This is, simply put, a really good bag – whether in leather, suede or T Monogram. It looked chic on everyone who carried it to our party last weekend, with more than a few commenting on its practicality – basically it’s not heavy and carries more than you’d expect. We’ll take it!