Tory Burch, the Former Captain of Agnes Irwin’s Varsity Tennis Team, Is Launching an Activewear Line

Tory Sport will launch this fall.

Tory-Sport

Tory’s tennis-themed announcement.

A few years ago, any fashion designer worth his or her salt branched out into home goods (Diane von Furstenberg, Jason Wu, Armani). Now, fashion is flocking to athleticwear, with everyone from Trina Turk to Mara Hoffman desperate to snag a piece of the yoga-pant pie.

The latest designer to jump into the fitness game? Tory Burch, the queen of preppy conservatism (and ballet flats) and, according to a recent Vogue article, a fierce tennis player who left her mark on the courts of Agnes Irwin: 

“But if you grew up with Tory on Philadelphia’s Main Line, where as the captain of the varsity tennis team at the Agnes Irwin School for girls she had a two-handed topspin backhand that was a kill shot, or if you have played at her garden court in Southampton, Long Island, steps away from the Jazz Age neo-Georgian mansion where she spends summer weekends, then you already know that Tory plays to win.”

Burch’s line, called Tory Sport, is set to launch this fall. But don’t expect it be a riff on Lululemon: “What a lot of sports brands miss is femininity, unless it’s a garish femininity in the form of exposed body parts and neon colors. I was thinking more The Royal Tenenbaums,” she explained to Vogue. What this  means is less Lycra and more piqué (and also cashmere).

The collection will encompass tennis apparel, a neoprene wet suit and rash guards, track suits, leggings and workout bags. Head here for some (very dramatic) pics.

Valentino, your turn.