Since joining Burberry, Daniel Lee has been on a green streak, roaming London parks, erecting circus-like tents and filling them with thick blankets, pillows and branded hot water bottles as part of his mission to showcase the company's solid reputation. of Burberry outerwear.
On Monday night he took guests including Callum Turner, Bright, Olivia Colman and Joanna Lumley to Victoria Park in east London, and did much the same thing. This time the floor of her tent was covered in rubbery green shreds that looked like cut grass, while the guests sank their buttocks into thick, furry brown cushions.
While the scenario may have been similar, this fall collection was a big step forward. It was more glamping than camping, with a luxury line of rugged classics – trench coats, knitwear and wellies – tough and designed to outlast the seasons.
If Lee's last two collections were a hailstorm of ideas, patterns, checks, colors and new shapes for bags and shoes, this season was about refinement. She focused on outerwear and was more sophisticated, without gimmicky duck hats or giant branded belt buckles.
Lee wanted it to be about “craft” and said the starting point was British and Irish wool, the mills of Lochcarron and Donegal, and the Burberry heritage that dresses military men and explorers in weatherproof clothing.
He wanted these pieces to work, “look durable and functional, and go with a trench coat,” Lee said. He didn't want anything too precious and described the collection as suitable “for walking outdoors. “They are clothes you can live with.”
It was a beautiful collection and certainly had weight. Thick tufts of faux fur sprouted from the cuffs of coats and around the collars of bomber jackets, while tendrils of feathers floated from the shoulders of cashmere knits.
Anoraks and other styles came with removable plaid linings, while trench coats had extra-high funnel collars to keep out the wind. The furry chunkies had a teddy bear charm, while the knee-length coats had a military feel. Lee completed the looks with sturdy wellies, biker boots or wedge boots designed for walking around town and country.
Knitted dresses with high collars came with long fringed scarves, while skirts and kilts were so long they reached the floor, no stockings required. Men's tailoring was also substantial: heavy suits were worn with tractor-soled boots, while luxurious fur collars adorned coats.
However, it wasn't all function. Lee added a refreshing touch of levity in the form of shiny gold hardware: zippers on a sturdy coat, snaps on chubbies, and a playful anklet adorning a stretch leather wedge boot.
The evening wear had a glamorous touch, in the form of a draped gold velvet dress and long, sparkling dresses reminiscent of a star-filled sky.
These were hard-working pieces, and it's no coincidence that Lee was showing them now at a time when many luxury customers are thinking twice about spending and hoping to be able to afford Burberry's new higher prices.
These clothes will keep them warm, dry and looking good, no matter where they set up their tent.
