Tory Burch’s Spring/Summer 2023 Collection Redefined Minimalism For Next Year

Over the past year, the one word you likely heard repeated from every corner of the internet is: maximalism. In fashion, this aesthetic is the anthesis to the minimalism movement as it encourages you to embrace your brightest, campiest, and most out-there looks with an unabashed attitude. This was evidenced through chunky baubles and psychedelic prints seen throughout fashion lately, but the tides might be turning back to a time of simplicity for next season. At least, that’s what you would think if you tuned into Tory Burch’s Spring/Summer 2023 collection.

The designer showed her newest ready-to-wear pieces during New York Fashion Week at Pier 79 on Sept. 13. Burch invited guests to the venue around sunset to take in a collection that immediately felt toned down from her previous designs, which typically have plenty of color and florals added in for good measure. The show notes at each seat read: “The Spring/Summer 2023 collection is defined by opposing instincts: to experiment freely and to pare everything back ... Clean lines and an ethereal palette are the understated backdrop for a new focus on material and silhouette. The first look — composed of a sheer cotton top, lace bra, jersey bandeau, and silk chiffon skirt — set the tone for the clean-lined runway collection as the outfit contained a delicateness and lightness to it.

The semi-sheer skirts were especially prominent in the spring collection as they were iterated in various colors like cocoa and slate gray. When said bottoms were styled with crisp button-downs and viscose mock-neck tops, the whole ensemble gave off Gwyneth Paltrow ‘90s vibes — simple, understated chicness. In fact, Burch confirmed in her show notes that this decade served as the inspiration for her latest designs.

“This collection is personal and intuitive, drawing on my memories of the ‘90s when I moved to New York. I wanted to look at my signature with a fresh perspective, reflecting what feels modern now,” said the designer in the show notes. Burch, who was born in 1966, would’ve been in her mid-20s during the decade that birthed trends like sheer slips, capri pants, flatforms, and baggy jeans (to name a few).

To get an idea of what she was drawn to in the ‘90s — and how one can wear the looks in 2023 — one only needs to look at the aforementioned silky satin skirts or her cropped leggings akin to pedal pushers that were styled out in runway Looks 7 and 10. These bottoms will likely stir up mixed reactions from Burch’s fans, with some ready to eagerly adopt the pants into their wardrobes next spring while others rejecting them in favor of her gray skinny faille trousers instead (see Look 14). Elsewhere in the lineup, Burch leaned into minimalist outerwear via silk taffeta trenches and cotton sateen coats that called to mind streamlined and sleek silhouettes you’d see on ‘90s stars like Meg Ryan and Iman.

As “Tonight, Tonight” by The Smashing Pumpkins reverberated throughout the pier, a model in Look 31 — an organza overlay paired with a silk dress — served as Burch’s closing argument for everyone to adopt a less-is-more approach to dressing next season. See the designer’s take on popular ‘90s styles below, and then make a mental wishlist of all the items you’ll want when they drop next year.