It was as if North Texas fundraisers were preparing to go dark for the takeover by the weekend’s Red River Rivalry. Thursday, October 9, proved to be a killer for supporters to pick where to be. The day started at 10:30 with the VIP reception for the Dallas Women’s Foundation’s 29th Annual Luncheon in the Wedgwood Room of the Hilton Anatole.
Ah, but getting to “the” room was a wee bit of a challenge in itself. Due to the fact that the main event was predicted to attract more than 1,500 people, parking was going to be a problem.
Situation: Morning and luncheon events usually have one person per car. Evening events run at 1.5 to 2 people per car. (Wonder what a half person looks like?) For that reason, the valets were set up at both the Anatole’s main entrance and at the Atrium’s entrance; then there was self-park. But one top-notch sponsor admitted that she tried to self-park and found it discouraging. And that was before the 10:30 reception! Cars ended up being parked all over the place.
The reason for this overpopulated event was the keynote speaker — Tory Burch.
Her pull was so great that Luncheon Co-Chairs Robin Bagwell and Jan Osborn didn’t even have to send out one invitation. It was sold out with no need for invites at all!
A softer, more attractive version of Carrie Bradshaw, Tory bravely faced a never-ending line of new BFF’s for the meet-and-greet. Dallas Woman’s Foundation President/CEO Roslyn Dawson Thompson looked just downright gleeful with old friends and new ones waiting in line for their turn with Tory. At one point, the room was so filled with good wishes and women, the temperature had Tory removing her jacket. Despite some wanting to chat with Tory, the line had to keep moving to accommodate all. Finally, it was time for lunch to start and for Tory to head backstage. As handlers asked if there were Diet Cokes in the green room for Tory, an Anatole staffer with headpiece took care of that little request immediately.
As the Chantilly Ballroom filled with the masses including retailers Kersten Rettig, Rachel Michell and Victoria Snee and the back wall lined with video cameras and people busily working at laptops, Tory Burch goodies were being seen throughout. Co-Chair Jan, who was seated with Tory at lunch, managed to get the designer’s autograph on her Tory Burch purse… Katherine LaLonde proudly revealed that she was wearing one of the “extremely early” Burch jackets.
After a couple of videos explaining the need of women to receive respect both personally and professionally, 2014 Dallas Woman’s Foundation Board of Directors Chair Ashlee Kleinert and 2015 Chair Ellenore Knight Baker thanked the guests for their support. They also announced a $150,000 match challenge.
Following lunch (poached pear salad with assorted fall greens, candied walnuts, gorgonzola and champagne vinaigrette; seasoned chicken paillard, natural jus squash and onion soufflé with sautéed haricot vert; and a variety of individual desserts including raspberry brûlée, maple pot au crème, macaroons, chocolate mousse and coconut cream pie), Bank of America’s/U.S. Trust’s Andrew Pleper proved charm can soothe even 1500+ strangers. He started off by admitting that he was going off script. The sound of air being sucked in by certain BofA staffers was heard throughout the room. He told how in the last year he had gone through a divorce, which is “an emotionally trying experience…My communications people are buzzing, ‘Where is he going with this? We never let him on stage without a script.’…Everyone tells you it will get better. And here I am with 1,800 women. It’s all good.” With that off-the-cuff remark, he had 1,800 new BFF’s. The sound of BofA staffers breathing again could be heard.
In introducing Tory, he touched on the Elizabeth Street Foundation, which helps increase the opportunity for women in business. He told of how he and Tory had been on the CBS morning news show to explain the Foundation that is supported by Tory and BofA. In trying to impress his kids with his “cool” factor being with Tory, he showed them a tape of the segment. Their response was, “Dad, you’re creeping on her.”
He went on to describe Tory’s personal commitment and passion for the foundation and how she personally attends meetings and has a very hands-on involvement in all aspects, leaving any ego at the door.
After a hug with Andrew, Tory addressed her fans. She started off saying she was definitely going to stay on script and that she did as she read her speech from Teleprompters. The message was about “the ambition gap” and how it was a problem facing women in the world of business. “Ambition is considered very positive for men. It’s definitely viewed less favorably for women. It’s time for a change.”
But she stressed that this issue and conversation should be held not just among women but including men, too.
She then told of her “own journey” and how “we’re helping other women make their dreams come true.” Starting off, she recalled growing up on a farm in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, as a tomboy. “I don’t think I put on a dress until my junior prom.”
Thanks to her parents’ encouragement and inspiration, she felt she could accomplish anything. At the University of Pennsylvania, she threw herself into as many experiences as possible — an internship at Christie’s, founding a sorority (Kappa Alpha Theta) and spending a summer on a fish cannery in Alaska, “which is definitely not as glamorous as it sounds…I learned a lot from that experience and not just about the unique characteristics of salmon. I learned that I could navigate uncomfortable situations and interesting things happen when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone. To be honest, I am perpetually outside my comfort zone. There are some things that I will never get used to. And speaking before 1,800 people is one of them.”
Her first job was in New York City as designer Zoran’s assistant. Jobs at Harper’s Bazaar, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, etc., followed. She left the corporate world to take care of her three sons under the age of four. While being a stay-at-home-mom, she started gathering fashion designs and ideas. When 9/11 took place, she put the plans on hold because they seemed “frivolous” at the time. The next six months turned into an addiction of watching CNN. But every time she turned on the channel, she would see the commercial about “’following your dream.’ After seeing it the “100th time, I decided to take the risk. It gave me the impetus to pursue my ambition.”
She had to fundraise and asked a lot of people to invest, “but only if you’re willing to lose it. I’m not sure but in retrospect I don’t think that’s something a man would ever say.”
Her confidence grew over time. As part of her pitch, she said that if the company was successful, she wanted to create a foundation. That was not welcomed. Evidently business and social responsibility were oil and water. But that only made her more determined.
As she juggled mom duties of putting the boys to bed and then taking conference calls, her dream began to take shape. A small shop was leased on a low-rent corner in Manhattan and the first order of goods was placed. Naysayers had advised her against opening a retail shop. Go the wholesale route and build the brand from there, they said. Unlike the minimalist design of stores at the time, Tory wanted her shop to look like clients were entering someone’s living room. It was also “unusual to launch both multiple categories and E-commerce on the first day…I looked back then and said I wanted to build a global, lifestyle brand. I hear that now and I have to laugh because in fact I had no idea what that meant.”
The store opened in February 2004 with the help of her stepdaughters working through the night. In fact there were no doors to open, because they hadn’t arrived. It was so jammed that women were trying on clothes in the middle of the store. By that evening they had sold nearly all the inventory.
A month later a call came from Oprah. Tory thought it was one of her brothers playing a trick on her. But it wasn’t. Tory appeared on Oprah and their website received eight million hits.
Today Tory Burch is a global brand with 137 freestanding boutiques, e-commerce in seven languages and presence in more than 3,000 specialty and department stores worldwide.
One of her greatest challenges is still balancing family and business for herself and her associates — “When you make it easier for people to have a great personal life, it breeds creativity and happiness.”
Her experiences in creating and building Tory Burch, she realized the focus of the foundation — “to support the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs and their families in the U.S. through low-cost mentoring and networking opportunities as well as entrepreneurial education.”
The Tory Burch Foundation launched in 2009. This past January the foundation partnered up with Bank of America to launched an initiative named after the first boutique — Elizabeth Street Capital. With an initial commitment of $10M from BofA, it will provide access to funds for women to launch their own businesses.
She then pointed out that Texas has one of the highest number of women-owned businesses in the country.
Concluding her presentation, she used quotes from female leaders
- International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde — “What holds women back is not competence, which they usually have, it’s confidence, which they usually lack.”
- The late U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan — “Life is too large to hang out a sign for ‘For men only.’”