LFW: Burberry
Handcrafted luxury.
The Burberry Prorsum show at London Fashion Week was, without a doubt, a highlight of the week. Not that this is all that surprising - the brand is such a heavyweight in its home-town that the media fly into London, from all over the world, just to attend. It's therefore wise for other brands to secure a Monday timeslot slot as well, although Burberry is next level stuff: they pitch their tent in Kensington Gardens, the entrance is via the 'Queen's Gate' (no less) and they have some serious pull when it comes to celebrities. This season everyone from Kanye to Sienna Miller showed up and added some glamour to a week mostly dominated by TV Week talent and socialites. On the runway, the big names were out in full force as well: Arizona, Anja, Jourdan, Fei Fei and Abbey Lee, along with fellow Aussie (and relative newcomer) Ruby Jean.
So what about the clothes? Sure Burberry is a luxury brand with a big budget, but stripped of all these bells and whistles could the collection stand on its own? Absolutely. Working with the brand's signature styles, Christopher Bailey managed to reinvent the wheel once more, this time with a focus on handcrafted elements. Collars were crocheted, artisan woven raffia and cotton was used for bags and detailing, knits were done in a basket weave, and beading and leather stitching were a running theme for accessories. Highlights for me were a cropped canopy parka, the multi-coloured basket-weave knits and the long, ladylike skirt of the season, though for Burberry the shape was fuller and the colours perfect. A slight diversion from the pop colour-palette we have seen in most of the Spring Summer collections, Burberry's muted tones were no less inspiring, and with a feel good soundtrack of 'Everlasting Love' and 'My Sweet Lord' by George Harrison, the optimism of spring was certainly felt.
Images courtesy of Imaxtree and Burberry
