Penelope Cruz and Naomi Campbell were among the stars at Burberry's clever and poetic LFW show
Burberry is an impressive and slick operation when it comes to showing off their collections but how would the British label follow a show as expertly conceived, produced and delivered as last year's homage to Virginia Woolf's Orlando? In one word: easily.
Well, they make it look so, although navigating the near opposing currents of luxury fashion and digital retail can be far from it. Anyway, for its new February collection, available now, immediately, almost before you can utter the words Instagram, it has once again looked to the realms of British high culture: the oeuvre and processes and, naturally, the wardrobe of sculptor, Henry Moore.
With Anna Calvi in belting voice on the balcony at their venue, Makers House, and a catwalk that ran through the amber glow of several of Moore's majestic bronze sculptures, chief creative officer Christopher Bailey sent out a collection of men's and womenswear that was, yes, sculptural, but also classy, witty, poetic and accessible.
Burberry is a luxury brand that has struck in its time a populist note in Britain. How lucky for them. It puts them in a unique and enviable position in terms of recognition. So it's both clever and right that amid the beautifully deconstructed heavy trenches and ivory cable knits, the extravagantly sleeved shirting and lace dresses, the herringbone tweed tailoring and outerwear, Bailey is also finding time for interestingly cut jersey sweatshirts, loose cargo pants and appliquéd stripey t-shirts.
Everything could be traced back to Moore - the lace came from the textural webbing and sticks he used to start a piece, the stripes - as you will see in photographs if you go to the week-long public exhibition at Makers House that starts tomorrow - from the butchers' aprons that he wore while at work.
From last season's Orlando show you can still trace the Elizabethan menswear silhouette that feels like it could be the right signature for Burberry now, both as a British heritage brand and as a label for these gender fluid times.
It was clever. And then it got cleverer. In a grand finale, all the models reappeared in the looks they had already worn but with the addition of the most fabulously crafted bespoke capes - a reworked chandelier, a giant bobbly squid of a knitted thing, sculpted metal, oversized ruff, layers of lace, piles of bouncing feathers, they kept on coming.
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