Burberry Prorsum is the blockbuster show of London Fashion Week, with the starriest Frow (this time featuring Sienna Miller, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Andy Murray, Anna Wintour, Samantha Cameron, Mario Testino, we could go on…) and the most spectacular setting. A huge marquis was erected in Hyde Park and on entering we were confronted with a vast holographic video of Rosie H-W – the face and body of the new Burberry fragrance – to set the scene.
The show opened to “I put a spell on you” and that’s exactly what the clothes did, with beautiful Burberry girl Cara Delevigne kicking off proceedings. Like Mulberry’s Emma Hill, Christopher Bailey is another British designer who understands exactly what a washout an English summer can be, and as his label is synonymous with raincoats, he was perfectly placed to send out a huge range of trenches in a moodily dark palette the colour of a stormy summer sky. Purple, blue and mossy green dominated the show and the silhouette was either full-skirted (we loved the crisply pleated knee-length skirts) or super-slender with tight pencil skirts and dresses topped off with slinky sweaters.
There were plenty of patterns and textures to draw the eye, from a striking African print in orange, burnt chocolate and royal blue, to chevron stripes on knits, a jumbo Burberry check and chunky knitted sleeves. One little bag that appeared to be made of wicker, but could as easily have been a clever bit of trickery with a knit, was finished with navy leather buckled straps – we want it. One intriguing section of the show featured plastic shapes – circles, squares and triangles – adorning jumpers and appearing across the shoulders of trenches too. They had a vaguely tribal, Aztec feel and added a playful touch to what was mostly a mature, sophisticated collection. Each outfit was topped off with a sweet straw baseball cap with a pompom bobbing on its crown.
There was something assertive, almost combative about the tightly belted trenches and smart pleated silk shirt dresses in apple green and mustard – these clothes had a grown up, sexy feel, making the show a distinct departure from the ‘60s ingénue which we’ve seen on the Burberry catwalk in recent seasons. It was hard to tell if it was the collection or the uplifting U2 cover of “Everlasting Love” that had the audience smiling, but this was a confident show with a major feel-good factor. Burberry, we salute you.
London Fashion Week 2011
The Front Row
London Fashion Week predictions
