Fashion Show Countdown: 24 Hours Before Tory Burch

It’s the afternoon before the Tory Burch fall 2013 show, and her team is working on hand details on the show shoes, sewing on beads that look like beetle wings. Actually, everywhere you look, Burch HQ is bugging out. Not with stress, but with scarabs. There’s also a grasshopper-shaped magnifying-glass pendant inspired by one that Burch’s grandmother owned. Turning over the collection’s shoes reveal gold dragonflies resting on the heels.

Tory Burch and stylist Tabitha Simmons are in the midst of a fitting, and their focus reflects the number of infinitesimal decisions that go into making a collection feel like a cohesive whole. Tailors are on hand with measuring tapes looped around their necks, and the changes range from the simple—“I prefer it with the gloves”—to the complex: “Does this skirt need a haircut?” The model gives her spine a self-massage. “How tall are you?” Simmons asks her. “Five feet eleven and a half inches.” Most parties present have to tiptoe to put sunglasses on her. Then take them off. Then put them on again.

An assistant takes notes:
“Cara D. Refit at 7 a.m.
Nails: Cream Delicate”

At the end of a long table is a bowl of M&Ms and a bowl of carrots and celery. “The devil and angel constantly weighing in,” Burch laughs. By nightfall, Burch and Simmons are on their knees on the studio’s bright orange carpet making the final touches on a hem. Every detail is in place, and with a 6:30 a.m. call time, it’s time to spend the final countdown in slumber.

Monday, February 11
9:00 a.m.: A trip to the carpet-maker, who is producing the custom blue-and-gray runway rug with the swirl design that incorporates the show’s scarab theme.
10:00 a.m.: Music meeting. “We didn’t want it to be too romantic,” Burch says. They decide on a mix that includes Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls.”
12:00 p.m.: Thai food for lunch.
2:00 p.m.: Show stylist Simmons has a juice from Organic Avenue.
2:30 p.m.: Hair and makeup tests begin. “I want more of that face, without the lip,” Burch says. A rosy lipstick is replaced with a paler shade. Pinned on the board next to the Polaroids of models is a Gustav Klimt print. Burch points to the texture in Klimt’s art as an inspiration for the collection.
4:30 p.m.: Model Julia Nobis comes into the studio for a fitting. She wears a high-collared shirt in a print inspired by an Art Nouveau vase. Tabitha has another juice from Organic Avenue.

7:00 p.m.: It’s confirmed: the secret to Simmon’s creative force is fueled by Organic Avenue. Juice #3.
9:00 p.m.: A final late night fitting, working with a beautiful jacket with black porcelain beads. “The girls bring the clothes to life,” Burch says.

Midnight: Sleep! “We’re in good shape, this is the most organized we’ve ever been,” Burch says.

Tuesday, February 12

5:00 a.m.: Burch wakes up. Her sons will start school late (shhh!) to attend the show.
6:30 a.m.: Call time at the show venue. The Tory Burch team begins moving the collection in backstage.
7:00 a.m.: Models arrive for hair and makeup. Shiny accessories are matched to their looks and placed in bags on the racks.
8:00 a.m.: Show walk-through with music. The custom carpet is in place!
9:00 a.m.: Showtime!