September 19, 2023 |
At Burberry, the Daniel Lee era is taking shape. There’s an impressive, inclusive breadth to it. You see it in the celebs on the front row, everyone from national treasures like Kylie Minogue, Sir Mo Farrah and Naomi Campbell to Jodie Comer, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Ackie, Jason Statham and Bukayo Saka. These are people we can cheer. You see it on the catwalk too. There’s a realness to it.
Burberry is a British brand, but what does that mean post-Brexit? Sidestepping the traps of jingoism and nostalgia when it comes to British identity, Lee focuses on something we can all agree on. The weather is shit, so you’re going to need a good trench coat, a decent shoe and a practical bag.
He delivered on all those fronts. Trenches came with wide belts draped loosely around the hips creating a 1920s drop waist silhouette. There was a sensuality to it – the way silky trench coats fell off the body to reveal what was beneath – a skimpy fringed knit or a flounced one shoulder dancing dress. Floral dresses were as vivid as a Hockney painting and English eccentricity was represented by blue strawberry motifs on knits. Meanwhile Lee spreads the brand codes over everything from silky chain prints (inspired by the straps of the bags) to the charging Knight logo rendered as belt buckles and inspiring the shape of the brand’s new Shield bag.
Held in an open sided tent, in Highbury Fields, its roof resplendent in Burberry’s house-check, guests sat on park benches and quilted blankets and munched on Eccles cakes and other traditional English treats from the food truck packed outside.
The show notes talked of “lightness, sensuality, beauty and elegance”. It had that but it also felt real. Fit for purpose, made to be worn, with just enough fantasy to please the fashion crowd (notably on the footwear, where chunky loafer mules made a strong impression).
“Ultimately we want to design things that people want to wear,” Lee said before the show. “There can be a few moments of British eccentricity in the collections, but I see Burberry as quite grounded. Classicism has to be the foundation.”
Photography courtesy of Burberry.
