It’s 2 p.m. on a quintessentially balmy Los Angeles afternoon when I spot fashion designer Tory Burch in the lobby of the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. She’s wearing oversize sunglasses, a crisp collared shirt, an even crisper pleated navy skirt and leopard-print pumps. I start walking over to introduce myself, but a fan gets there first. This would happen several times during our meeting at the hotel — wherever Burch goes, a small flock of admirers form.

Burch is in town for the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards, where she was recognized with the designer of the year award. Ever since she took back creative control of her brand about six years ago, Tory Burch is back at the center of the American fashion zeitgeist. Compared to the resort-ready tunics and preppy Reva flats that embodied Tory 1.0 in the 2000s, Tory 2.0 has evolved into a “weirder,” more innovative version of itself. Think: a jersey dress with knotted ruching in an unexpected shade of green, or leather mules with an inverted heel that makes you look twice. While the Tory customer of the past felt neatly aligned with the country club aesthetic, the Tory customer today embodies a modern sensibility of polish and dynamism. You could easily imagine these clothes on a marketing exec at the office, a buyer at fashion week or an author on book tour.

There’s no doubt the “Tory-ssance” is in full swing. During New York Fashion Week, my TikTok page was flooded with behind-the-scenes clips of model it-girl Alex Consani getting ready for Tory Burch’s runway show. On the nouveau fashion blogs of Substack, women exchange styling ideas for the brand’s signature pierced mules. And on the streets of L.A. — from Sunset and Rodeo to Melrose and Wilshire — colorful Tory Burch logo sandals abound.

Clarke wears Tory Burch Mellow Mary Jane jellies, Gemini Link pendant necklace, and printed asymmetric viscose dress.

We sat down for tea at the Polo Lounge and talked about her design instincts, what women actually want to wear, freaky footwear and how a long career in fashion is its own kind of sport.

Viv Chen: Hi, Tory, it’s a pleasure to meet. Congratulations on receiving the designer of the year award from Fashion Trust U.S. this week. What does that kind of recognition mean to you at this point in your career?

Tory Burch: It’s a huge honor, and to be recognized by your peers is even more special. Being in that room and meeting some of the up-and-coming new designers, the creative energy was just palpable and super exciting to take in. I love what Tania [Fares] has built to support emerging designers.

VC: I heard you got to dress Pamela Anderson.

TB: Yeah, she presented the award to me. Pamela and I met through our boys, so it was very special because we have a friendship and I admire her so much.

VC: This award feels like another marker of the “Tory-ssance.” There’s been such a compelling story over the last few years about how you’ve reinvented the brand to feel fresh and relevant again. How do you see that evolution?

Clarke wears Tory Burch beaded heel sandals and cotton jacquard shirtdress.

TB: We’re just starting in many ways. When I first started the company 20 years ago, it was very much a creative journey. As time went on, I was also running the company and became the CEO. After a certain point, managing both was not doable. About six years ago — it was probably the one silver lining out of COVID — I had the opportunity to reset and give up my role as CEO. Now, 100% of my time is dedicated to the creative process. It’s something we’re still very much in the process of — not at the peak. I still have a lot I want to do.

VC: You redesigned your Rodeo Drive store last year. What is it about the L.A. market that influenced the design decisions you made?

TB: First of all, it’s really funny because a lot of people think I’m from L.A. I love the casual elegance of L.A. I’m very outdoorsy, I’m very sporty, so there’s a lot of things that I relate to from a design standpoint. And I’ve always been obsessed with interior design. It wasn’t as much about L.A., but it was more about using the light here. We opened up the top of the store with skylights, so it had shapes that the front of the store brought in with the light.

VC: You seem to have unlocked what women actually want to wear. Tell me more about your design perspective.

TB: I like an ease and a realness to what we do, but balanced with creativity and innovation. So it’s taking things that are classic in spirit, but then giving a strangeness to it. Like something where you look closer and see an interesting fabric or different stitching. I like tension.

Melissa wears Tory Burch pierced strappy heel sandals and printed silk dress.

Clarke wears Tory Burch Hank ballet sneakers.

VC: I want to talk about footwear, because you’ve designed some major hits. The Reva flat was such an iconic shoe in the 2000s. And now, your pierced mules are fueling the contemporary rise in “freaky footwear.” What is it about footwear that is such a powerful category for you?

TB: I’ve always loved footwear. When I started with the pierced [mule], I was looking at toe rings. I thought, how do you incorporate the concept of that into a mule? It was like an exercise in architecture. Ever since I’ve taken back the reins of the creative process, I’ve focused on how footwear makes your leg look and how it feels. The Reva is interesting because it was meant to be a foldable shoe to throw in your bag, but also something you could walk in all day.

VC: What shoes are you wearing today?

TB: I’m wearing the pierced pump.

VC: How do movement and women in motion factor into how you design? I’m thinking about Tory Sport, which I think was ahead of the curve of the athleisure boom.

TB: We started in 2015. It was me and a very small team starting with what I felt like was missing in the market — which was great-looking clothing that was not restrictive, but also technical. Something you could move in from morning until evening. I also saw the prevalence of streetwear and the way women were dressing at the time.

VC: Culturally, when we talk about fashion designers, we focus on skills like creativity and artistry. Whereas in the language of sports, we talk about endurance, discipline and grit. Do you view your 20-plus year career in fashion as its own kind of sport?

Melissa wears Tory Burch jelly heel flip-flops.

TB: I do. It is a sport, and there’s a physicality to it as well. I think some people question whether I still go to the office. I don’t think I’ve had lunch in the last 21 years. I can be at the office for 10-hour days, which is like an athlete where it’s about discipline and grit and endurance.

VC: Athletes always get asked about the unglamorous work behind the wins. What’s your equivalent of daily reps?

TB: The mental capacity you need to have. Sometimes I make 4,000 decisions in a day. I touch every product. But I’m also lucky in that my days never really look the same either, because I do so many different parts of the business — whether it’s store design, marketing or the actual design of different categories.

VC: Beyond your brand, what is the impact you are trying to make with the Tory Burch Foundation?

TB: We launched it in 2009 to support women entrepreneurs through mentoring, capital and community. We’ve committed to adding a billion dollars to the economy by 2030 through our fellows and entrepreneurs. We’re having a breakfast in three weeks honoring Anna Wintour. It’s our second fundraiser — last year it was Martha Stewart.

VC: What is the long game for Tory Burch?

TB: I don’t know that I’d sit and think about the long game as much as I think about trying to be present. I’m always interested in the zeitgeist and how we fit into that, but not necessarily to be on trend. I just am someone that has that curiosity to push things forward.

Viv Chen is a Bay Area–based fashion writer, and founder of the Molehill newsletter.

Bulgaria has won the 70th Eurovision Song Contest — the country’s first-ever win.

The achievement surprised many because Bulgaria wasn’t among the favorites to win in 2026. But with its catchy “Welcome to the riot!” refrain and bouncy vibe, performer Dara’s banging anthem “Bangaranga” bested 24 other nations for the glittery global musical crown at the finals on Saturday in Vienna, Austria.

Israel came in second, as it did last year. Ten competitors were eliminated from the original group of 35 in the semi-finals earlier this week.

In his appraisal of his 10 favorite Eurovision 2026 songs, NPR critic Glen Weldon called “Bangaranga” an “insanely catchy bop” and praised its “deep, profound, abiding grooviness.”

“Oh my god!” Dara yelled, as she accepted the Crystal Microphone, the event’s glass trophy, from last year’s winner, JJ of Austria.

As with other global cultural events, such as the Venice Biennale currently underway in Italy, the glittery annual songfest is intended as a display of goodwill and togetherness between nations. “In a world often divided, we stand united by music,” said host Michael Ostrowski at the conclusion of this year’s event.

Last year’s contest, held in Basel, Switzerland, saw record viewership, reaching 166 million viewers across 37 markets.

Israel prepared for ‘boos’

Eurovision has long strived to prioritize artistry over political antagonism. However, as with the Biennale, Eurovision 2026 found itself at the center of protests related to the war in Gaza.

Five countries — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — pulled out between September and December 2025 in protest over event organizer European Broadcasting Union’s decision to allow Israel to participate amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

In this year’s finals, Israeli singer Noam Bettan performed the romantic breakup song “Michelle” in French, Hebrew and English. Unlike in the semifinal, when the artist sang over chants of “stop the genocide,” Bettan was not booed — at least audibly. The artist told The Times of Israel last month he had been practicing performing in front of hecklers.

There were both anti- and pro-Israel demonstrations in Vienna this week.

Pro-Palestinian protests at the last two contests called for Israel to be disbarred from Eurovision over its role in the conflict, as well as allegations it attempted to manipulate voting to favor its entries. The European Broadcasting Union changed its voting rules in response. Among other requirements, contestants and broadcasters are prohibited from taking part in promotional campaigns by third parties including governments. Countries outside of Europe, such as Israel, participate in Eurovision because eligibility is based on European Broadcasting Union membership, not necessarily geographics.

A double standard?

Although Israel’s participation is the biggest cause of dissent in 2026, the country avoided being banned from the event.

That was not the case with Russia, which was disbarred indefinitely from participating in the contest soon after launching its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

European Broadcasting Union deputy director general Jean Philip De Tender defended his organization’s decision to allow Israel to perform, the European edition of Politico reported ahead of the contest’s final, because Israel’s public broadcaster KAN, the body behind its entry, is independent, whereas Russia’s state broadcaster, VGTRK, is run by the Russian government.

In a social media post on Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decried the European Broadcasting Union for its “double standard.”

I love reading about artists’ processes and routines. Toni Morrison wrote before dawn, before her children awoke and she had to go to her publishing job. In the evenings, Maya Angelou cleaned and put away all her dishes before she sat with what she had written that morning. Louise Bourgeois only worked in complete silence. These rules and routines are reminders that art takes work — and immense amounts of energy.

I grew up with parents who are also artists and had to find time for their projects between life and daily obligations. My father wrote in the early mornings; my mother painted in the hours after lunch and before we were done with school. It normalized for me the intentional carving out of time needed for writing, reading and creating. This has meant that I’m almost always busy doing something, and sometimes tired, but when I don’t carve that time, I’m guaranteed to be in a bad mood, like the hanger that comes from skipping a meal.

In Viv Chen’s interview with Tory Burch, the designer compares her workdays to being “like an athlete where it’s about discipline and grit and endurance.” It’s a sentiment that sums up much of the spirit of this issue, which looks at art as a sport and sport as an art. Whether you’re playing fútbol, sewing clothes or staging a performance, it’s a physical as well as mental game.

Above all, the artist-athletes in these pages show us the rewards of their commitments. We witness this in the sizzling images of Tory Burch shoes pounding the hot Los Angeles pavement and in the sportswear designs that Otis students worked on for months, the results literally glowing and electric. We witness this in the portraits of Betye Saar, regally dressed in a Gucci kaftan for what will likely be the last exhibition she’s involved in during her lifetime. We witness this in the image of our fútbol queen on the cover, strong, reverent and at peace. These stories are all reminders that dedication to one’s craft is not just life-giving, it’s what makes life worth living.