Tory

I was fascinated to read the lengthy profile of Tory Burch in today’s NYTimes. She's the glamorous founder of her global brand, while mothering her three boys and residing in fabulous (and often photographed) homes. Tory also manages to maintain a long list of social activities as well as launching her own foundation. (add in succeeding late last year at closing the chapter on her years of litigation with her ex-husband and former business partner Christopher Burch.)  As Tory is friends with many other notable people, I have taken the liberty of lifting some of their quotes from the author,  Laura M. Olsen's piece to share my sense of awe with and wonder of Tory, the woman. I also loved the author's telling of Tory climbing Machu Picchu with her kids as a way to exercise and bond together. What does this wormen not do? (fyi- Ms. Holsen reveals a third of the way through  that " Ms. Burch declined to be interviewed for this article.")

“I think Tory is in the greenest pasture of her life,” said Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, who runs the worldwide literary department at William Morris Endeavor and who has known Ms. Burch for a decade. “I don’t see her on a happiness destination tour here.”

Friends say Ms. Burch, at her core, is pragmatic. “She has the ability to be very rational,” said Ms. Kotur, who also worked with Ms. Burch at Ralph Lauren. “It has allowed her not to get trapped by herself, by her own emotions and shortcomings.”

But what will Ms. Burch — who seems to have it all — move on to? “She has already branded herself,” said Ms. Wang, the designer who made Ms. Burch’s dresses for both her weddings.

“I think she has so much white space in the world,” said Byron Trott, chairman and chief executive of Chicago-based BDT Capital Partners, a merchant bank that advises family businesses and that invested in the company late last year. “She is at the tip of the iceberg.” 

More than these occasions, Ms. Burch seems to relish spending time with her three sons, which included a vacation in 2010 to Machu Picchu in Peru, which the foursome climbed together. “It took her five hours with all the boys,” said the socialite Gigi Mortimer, a friend. “She is tough on her kids. She wants them to be polite. Athletics are important, and it is hard to find sports in New York.”

So, I am resolved more than ever to proceed full throttle with my life and my goals for self and family. My favorite Tory quote, "Women should be as ambitious as men." comes from the designer's remarks on her video produced by the Stanford School of Business and I couldn't agree more.

(and to experience more of Tory's world beyond her products- check out The Tory Blog)