Models walks the runway for the Tory Burch Spring/Summer 2020 show. AFP

From a linen and leather pant to a macrame tweed skirt, Tory Burch looked to one of the most important fashion icons of the 20th century for inspiration at New York Fashion Week: Princess Diana.

At Sunday's show held at the Brooklyn Museum, Burch said she made sure "to be careful not to be too literal, because she's clearly a style icon but that's not what was so interesting to me."

What was interesting, she said, was Diana's humanitarian work, "her fearlessness, her being a mom that protected her family and just how strong of a woman she was." Burch said she tried to capture that strength and style in outfits that included linen dresses with rope sashes, a wool sweater with a sequined collar and a silk twill skirt.

And, bonus, she put sneakers on her models with a range of looks in her spring-summer 2020 collection.

Model Karolina Kurkova, who sat in the front row, said she was excited about the collection.

Charlotte Lawrence attends the Tory Burch Spring/Summer 2020 show. AFP 

"I think every girl growing up wants to be a princess. It was my dream, too, to be a princess," she said. "I mean, I do of course follow the royal family, and it's good to see how they're doing. And Princess Diana, she was very special."

Other guests spoke of how much they admired Burch's aesthetic and message. Burch said in her show notes that the collection brings together English garden florals, a restrained volume and her own take on the 1980s.

Designer Tory Burch walks the runway during her Spring/Summer 2020 show. AFP

Actress Alexandra Daddario said she was excited that Burch's show was her first experience at fashion week.

"I love Tory Burch. I've been wearing Tory Burch for years," she said. "I'm from New York. I feel like it's great New York street fashion. It's a really cool way to kick things off."

Associated Press