If a sweet, sweeping sense of deja vu envelopes you when looking at Tory Burch's brand-new line of lettuce- and cabbage-inspired dinnerware perfected in collaboration with noted Palm Beach potter Dodie Thayer, then thank yourself, your mother or even your grandmother for sophisticated taste.
The original extra-special springtime ceramic artworks stand as favorites among collectors such as the late fashion trendsetter Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, international best-dressed C.Z. Guest and the Duchess of Windsor, as well as actress, socialite and philanthropist Dina Merrill.
And now Burch brings the iconic 1960s look to your vernal tabletop with updated molding and a bright green hue in her latest for-the-home introduction. Dodi Thayer for Tory Burch is a garden party of six lettuce-inspired, hand-detailed and glazed ceramic plates, bowls and cups and saucers, along with complementing linens ready to complete the tablescape.
The collection, designed in partnership with the potter-to-high society, is now available online and at select boutiques nationwide, including Burch's Houston shop.
"Each piece was a labor of extraordinary love — two weeks start to finish."
Burch, also an avid collector of Thayer's creations, was first drawn to the organic designs by the particular shade of green Thayer used, Duncan Irish Green, as well as the artistic quality of the handmade objects that now disappear in minutes at antique stores and auctions.
"Each piece was a labor of extraordinary love — two weeks start to finish," Burch emails CultureMap about the popular ceramics fashioned by the "Pottery Queen of Palm Beach County."
"Every Thursday night, she would glaze a set of pieces, which would dry by morning. On Fridays, she would drive them into Palm Beach to the boutique Au Bon Gout, through which she would sell. Afterwards, she would have a wonderful lunch with friends at Ta-boo."
In 2013, Burch decided to contact Thayer to see if she would be interested in collaborating with her company.
"To my excitement, she said yes!" Burch writes. "And now, after two years of working with her and her family to make sure our Dodie Thayer for Tory Burch collection is how Mrs. Thayer would do it, I couldn’t be more thrilled to introduce it."
Dodie Thayer for Tory Burch includes lettuce ware dinner plates at $100 for a set of two, lettuce ware salad plates at $158 for a set of four, lettuce ware canape plates at $88 for a set of four, lettuce ware soup bowls at $148 for a set of four and lettuce ware cup and saucers at $120 for a set of two. Also in the collection are cocktail and dinner napkins, place mats and an assortment of tablecloths.
"I have always admired Dodie Thayer’s lettuce ware — each piece is truly a work of art," Burch notes. "I was honored when she agreed to collaborate with us on a pottery collection and working with her has been an incredible experience.
"She is a true American artisan and an extraordinary entrepreneur.”
Introducing the Dodie Thayer for Tory Burch collection.
