Dressing up with Tory Burch

Grace Kelly was my first style icon. Both being from Philadelphia, my father had been on a few dates with her. I always thought she was so beautiful, even in her later years.

I was such a tomboy growing up. I was very outdoorsy, always playing tennis or riding on our farm in Pennsylvania. It was a constant battle between what I wanted to wear and how my mother [former actress Reva Robinson] wanted to dress me.

I didn’t wear a dress until my first prom at junior high. It was a YSL black tulle dress with lavender silk and it was quite something.

I’m very comfortable in a tuxedo suit. You don’t have to be in a ball gown to feel sexy. My mother still has her YSL Le Smoking.

I’ve had so many fashion faux pas. I sometimes look at photos and think, ‘I can’t believe I wore that.’ The 1980s was probably my worst decade — too much lipstick, and my shoulder pads were always too big.

I have three teenage sons, twins Henry and Nick, and Sawyer. I let them have their own style. I like a nondescript look on men.

It’s flattering to see my designs on celebrities like Jessica Alba, who always looks beautiful. I like it when the actress Rashida Jones wears my clothes because I admire the way she thinks.

The most glamorous I’ve felt was in the dress I designed for the Met Ball two years ago: ivory tulle with appliquéd coral flowers.

My go-to designers are Proenza Schouler, Dries Van Noten and Céline. I recently went to a Dries show in Paris. I loved how it was curated, how he referenced diverse cultures.

I can’t live without my wayfarer and aviator sunglasses. I have several pairs because I’m always losing them.