Tory Burch’s Fall/Winter 2026 Collection Is Both Practical & Powerful

It’s not unusual for designer Tory Burch to look back to pioneering American women as a source of inspiration. In 2021, it was Claire McCardell, who revolutionized sportswear. For Fall/Winter 2026, it was Bunny Mellon, an heiress, philanthropist, and horticulturalist (who was responsible for designing and planting a number of significant gardens, including the White House Rose Garden) at the top of Burch’s mind. As the designer explains it, Mellon embodies the way modern women want to dress: “by instinct, not rules.“

What exactly are those instincts? Burch has deepened the niche for herself over the last few seasons by embracing the classic — swoopy silk dresses, tailored trousers, and draped coats — and infusing it with something so off-kilter that it somehow feels just right. Her embrace of squint-inducing, fruity hues like tangerine, lime, and plum, her exaggeration of silhouettes, and use of sneaky-freaky accessories, give something to pine for when faced with a sea of quiet neutrals elsewhere.

In the front row of the Fall/Winter 2026 debut, celebrities like Amanda Seyfried (whose current film Testament of Anne Lee showcases another revolutionary woman from American history), Mary Beth Barone, Pamela Anderson, and Tessa Thompson, gave a peek into the kind of women Burch admires, and who admire her back. Her shows have become a hot ticket for Hollywood and her clothes and accessories are often a buzzy topic on social media. The brand has found a way to create pieces poised for virality, without ever feeling like a gimmick.

Her commitment to sportswear and sure understanding of the ease and casualness of quintessential American style today is delightfully embraced. Pieces may have polish, but they’re not tight or fussy. Burch, whose line has been a favorite of society women not unlike Mellon herself for many years, knows who her core audience is. But, there’s a youthful, or at least 30-something, appeal to her work of late. The runway suggests a woman who is running from the gym-to the office-to cocktails, not to a cocktail luncheon.

In the show notes for Fall/Winter 2026, Burch goes on to describe the collection as: “A meditation on what endures, especially in times of chaos and despair.” In the way that two disparate notes can suddenly come together to form a harmony, the imperfection and I-just-threw-this-together nature of the collection not only emboldens even the not-so-fashion-minded to find personal style on their own terms, but shows them exactly how.

In times like these, it may feel frivolous to divert attention to dressing up, but there’s a power to embracing creativity and self-care in the face of turmoil.

Tucked in throughout the accessories of the collection is the “bunny knot,” a detail inspired by a quilted cushion Burch discovered in one of Mellon’s homes. A selection of shell earrings and raffia bags, thrown on as if the wearer has just returned from Turks and Caicos offset the sharper pieces with a levity. Outfits shaped by the imagined experience of the women wearing them.

Ahead, highlights from Tory Burch’s Fall/Winter 2026 show.