This season is the second time Burberry has chosen to adopt a ‘see now, buy now’ model to their presentations. This means that the collection, show yesterday in London at the former iconic bookstore Foyles, was for the SS17 season and available in stores immediately after it was finished. It’s an effort to move with the times and stimulate sales by making items available straight off the catwalk for customers; they can buy the pieces whilst they are still inspired by the show and don’t need to wait months for their purchases.
As was well publicised prior to Christopher Bailey’s show, the season was inspired by the famous British sculptor Henry Moore, and the invitations were carved into pieces of stone to reflect this. And that’s not where the sculptural references ended. Many of the models donned capes – which is a shape that Burberry was originally known for back in the 1880s – that sat high off the shoulders in structural forms of feathers, crystals and rope. Knitwear twisted and wound around the body in 3D and asymmetric form, giving a more sensual look to the chunky pieces. Also to note was that Bailey showed both men’s and women’s collections at the same time, meaning a mammoth 78 looks for spectators to digest.
Bailey gave his nod to streetwear in the form of several grey sweatshirts, modelled by both the men and the women on the catwalk. They were casual but cut close enough to be able to dress up if needed. Some had 3D rope patterns attached to the front, and some had motifs in direct homage to the paintings of Moore. They were easily recognisable, wearable and iconic pieces in the making; clever marketing in the celebrity social media world we live in.
In fact, Bailey did not just reference Moore’s work but also the artist himself. As he was told by Moore’s daughter during his research, the sculptor tended to work on his creations in a uniform of stripe shirts and faded blue clothing; both elements made an appearance on the runway yesterday.
There were also technological advances that have begun to evolve the traditional Burberry silhouettes. New treatments on the fabric of the classic Burberry trench has enabled them to be more lightweight and shapely on the body this season.
The show was truly a creative dedication to the Yorkshire-born artist, with every detail containing references to his work, from the shoes to the handbags. Christopher Bailey showed that he can pull off a directional show of this kind, and yet he still knows how to honour the brand’s heritage while injecting modern and forward thinking elements to keep things fresh.
