September 27, 2022 |
Not much usually happens on the down-day between Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks. Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry remedied that with a stellar show that had been rescheduled out of respect to The Queen’s passing. It was originally meant to be held on Trafalgar Square but relocated to a vast warehouse in Bermondsey where the international fashion pack descended.
In the centre of the space the London Contemporary Orchestra waited in silence, as the models walked, striking up only near the end of the show. Tisci had trailered the collection with a film of goths enjoying the British seaside and the collection he sent out married beach chic with the gothic glamour he’s cleaved to his whole career.
Tisci fused swimwear with evening wear, creating hybrids of swimsuits and gowns. Lace catsuits were over-printed with the famous house check and worn with denim maxi skirts. Or they formed a goth base for the fluttering ‘teddy’ dresses. A lace trimmed silky bodysuits at the front, a fluttering negligee behind, they look set to disrupt this season’s red carpet dressing. There were trench coats fused with fluttering towelling capes at the back and fishnet mermaid dresses that came in black, white or flesh. And just as you see all manner of folk at the British seaside, so the collection covered a depth of looks, from oversized denim workwear to finely wrought tailored jackets and a near-perfect leather car coat.
Many constructions were complex, technical and experimental as Tisci pushed Burberry into more radical space. The stellar cast of models, which included Naomi Campbell, Irina Shayk and Bella Hadid, wore flip flops with thongs shaped like thorned rose stems – the ultimate goth on the beach accessory. Meanwhile bags were worn around the biceps, like swimming armbands. The show closed with three immaculate black velvet gowns all worn with flip flops. As the models filed past, the breadth of ideas was plain to see. The collection soared as high as soprano Nadine Sierra, who serenaded us.
Photography courtesy of Burberry.
