Playing dress-up with Anny Choi

The Vogue editor-turned-bridal stylist invites us over for a tutorial on what to wear for late summer and early fall events.

Anny Choi photographed in New York City by Noa Griffel.

When you meet Anny Choi, it soon becomes clear why brides trust her to make their wedding dress (and ancillary outfit) dreams come true. In her low-key way, the former Vogue editor turned bridal stylist simply has excellent taste — distinctive and instinctive.

Each choice offers a little surprise but quickly makes absolute sense. Visiting her bright jewel-box of an apartment, one gets the overwhelming urge to see everything in her closet.

From her years at Vogue, Anny brings an editorial perspective to the bridal world, and from the bridal world, she brings a thoughtful perspective on dressing up for events in real life. So we asked her to mix our current collection with her own pieces. Here, three levels of dress-up à la Anny.

LEVEL 1: REAL LIFE, ELEVATED

STEP IT UP Anny wears our ruched sweater with her own vintage Old Céline skirt and earrings, the Marshmallow Satchel, Basketweave Towel and Violet T-Strap flats.

This could be the forgotten tier of summer dress-up. If not fully forgotten, at least fairly neglected in favor of fashion more geared to vacation and parties. Alas, for many women, real life isn’t all vacations and parties. There are also days in the office, important client meetings, dinners out, et cetera. For all of the above, you want to put together something chic and smart which still feels summery.

We love Anny’s counterintuitive choice of separates in such a dress-centric season. She paired our finely ribbed wool-and-silk sweater — “an elevated version of a white T-shirt” she said — with her own pleated knit Old Céline skirt. The shades of ivory feel fresh and light while the mix of textures keep it all interesting.

In an inspired twist, Anny opted for our basketweave towel, worn as a wrap, to ward off aggressive AC. “I love the geometric logo where you can’t really tell what it is,” she said. ”And navy is my new black. It’s my neutral.”

For a more casual but still polished look with the same vibe, trade the skirt for high-waisted, straight-leg ivory denim. For those who need more coverage and/or coziness, there’s a cardigan version of the knit.

The patterned towel-as-accessory is an eccentric yet surprisingly practical styling device seen most recently in The Row’s Pre-Fall 2024 show.

LEVEL 2: SPECIAL, YET RELAXED

HOME BODY Anny wears our Clip Tank dress, which she calls “a great hosting dress,” with her own Murano glass cuff picked up on a trip to Venice. On the table: Anny’s own clutch from The Row.

A definitively leisure-oriented category of summer dressing. “This is a great hosting dress,” said Anny. “And I would definitely travel with it because the jersey doesn’t wrinkle.” New this season, the Clip Tank dress has dedicated fans like podcaster Olivia Lopez, creative director Abi Marvel and Mindy Kaling. It’s a sleeper hit, emphasis on sleeper — it’s comfortable and doesn’t require a bra, the sort of dress you could imagine wearing for a post-beach nap and then straight to dinner after sliding into a low mule and putting on a pair earrings.

Based on our best-selling swimsuit, it has a flowing skirt that falls in gathers from a curved drop waist. “I think people shy away from drop waists,” said Anny. “Then they put it on and change their minds.” As is her style, Anny kept the accessories simple, with a clear glass cuff and dark sapphire velvet clutch. The dress’s namesake clips, she added “are also a bit like jewelry.”

Anny styled the Clip Tank dress with straw mules and The Row’s velvet Tassel clutch.

LEVEL 3: SEMI-FANCY, FULLY FUN

GRECIAN FORMULA Anny wears our silk jersey Goddess dress with silver sequin Loewe pumps.

If it’s cocktail hour and you need to make an impression, this is the dress, straight from the SS24 runway. A dress that makes such a statement with its asymmetric cascade of delicate sage-hued pleats, that it doesn’t need much else. For Anny, it’s the perfect dress to pack for a wedding weekend, though not for the big day. “There are usually rehearsal dinners and welcome parties,” she explained. “Especially for black tie or formal weddings, people expect you to wear a long dress. Wearing a mini for the night before is a fun way to differentiate the two outfits.”

Anny also makes the case the for dress’s re-wearability — beyond the summer wedding. “I have a friend’s wedding in December and want to wear this with very opaque black tights and black pumps,” she said. Its micro hem, she said, would pair well with trousers or even a long slip skirt for a layered maxi look. “It’s more versatile than you’d think.”

Anny found her Loewe pumps from The Real Real, one of her main sources for unearthing unique and well-priced fashion finds.

CAT LADY POWER

It’s an interesting moment in our culture for women who embrace cats, from Taylor Swift to our fearless leader to Maude Apatow. In a bout of fortuitous timing, earlier this week, we released our limited-edition Animal House capsule, which features a single image from German photographer Walter Schels, Cat, 1994. The fierce cat is printed on brand favorites: the Miller sandal, Ella Bio tote, a one-piece swimsuit, plus some fun merch.

Tory first used Schels’ heroic animal portraits in the Resort 2024 collection, which was then spun out into a quirky-cool concept shop on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. The collection will be exclusively available at Melrose, in addition to our Mercer Street and Miami Design District stores and toryburch.com.

Are you feline it?

We think you’ll find something to like whether you’re a longtime cat lady or newly feline-friendly.

We photographed Maude and Dolly with the capsule collection at our Corner Store pop-up in SoHo, a tribute to iconic New York City shops and their resident cats.