With two runway outings in the books, and his first collection now on the shop floor, Burberry’s chief creative officer Daniel Lee is getting down to everyday business, designing the pre-season collections that won’t have a big-bang moment or a starry front row.
These in-between collections, the mainstay of any luxury clothing business, make up most of the seasonal sales. If the runway shows are the icing, these are the cake, and Lee’s offer was rich, substantial and satisfying.
The designer melded country and city aesthetics for a collection that nodded to Burberry’s history dressing military men and explorers and turning out warm, weatherproof trenches for city dwellers braving the rain.
Even the eveningwear was cozy. A long halterneck dress with fat rosettes at the neck and hip was done in charcoal wool, while a faded camou print gown with a long, ’70s-flecked scarf collar came with its very own sleeveless shearling coat.
Many of these looks had a British aristo edge, made for men and women with one foot on the grouse moor and the other on the streets of Soho (where Burberry has set up a temporary studio as the main one undergoes a refurb).
Sturdy boots came with buckle- and biker-style details. Some were lined in shearling while other, taller leather ones were wrinkled and roomy and made for ease of movement. Edgier looks included stiletto mules that sprouted fur, and a new loafer style with high heels and a curved sole.
Clothing was just as robust: Lee’s women wore thick, ribbed tights or ones with a check pattern in what must be a first for Burberry.
He certainly worked those checks hard, turning them into ankle-grazing trenches, knife-pleat skirts, long trousers that pooled over chunky buckle boots, bomber jackets and an easy, cozy belted shirtdress.
Outerwear, another Burberry signature, also played a starring role in the form of beefy shearling jackets, and leather parkas trimmed with faux fur. There were bags galore, with Lee’s latest styles roomy, practical and bearing a discreet B logo that purred — rather than screeched — luxury, in keeping with the moment.
