In Yorkshire, one thing you can count on is rain.
Daniel Lee grew up not far from the Burberry factory in Castleford, where its iconic trench coats are made. For his resort collection, he celebrated the brand's expertise in outerwear with coats and jackets designed to withstand the temperamental British weather.
“It's nice to take the iconic idea of a trench coat and almost use it as a blank canvas to give it texture, to give it treatment,” Lee said as she toured the looks at Burberry's Paris showroom.
It featured the house's classic checks in landscape hues of green or brown on a grainy linen-blend fabric, which was used for crisp his-and-hers coats, cargo pants, and belted shirt dresses with trench-inspired collars.
“It feminizes something that ultimately feels quite masculine,” the designer said.
Daisies were laser cut into coats and flared trousers made of suede with a water-repellent coating, ideal for glamping at Glastonbury, while for northern climates, there were furry coats and bomber jackets made of shearling with a motif of diagonal squares.
A variety of treatments were used to waterproof classic workwear, including bomber jackets with the Burberry name woven into the waistband. Among Lee's favorites was a cotton coat bonded with layers of technical fabric and garment-dyed to give it a worn-in feel.
“These are clothes that you can put in a case, in a bag, throw on the floor and they don't feel too valuable. To me, that is really the spirit of Burberry,” she said.
The garment dyeing technique was applied to everything from cashmere sweaters to waxed jackets, channeling the inverted snobbery of a British rural landowner's worn suits.
Meanwhile, Savile Row regulars will appreciate classic tailoring in traditional menswear fabrics or peacoats in a patchwork of tweed and wool herringbone.
If the collection lacked the pizzazz of her runway efforts, Lee made sure to add some more directional pieces, like shearling jackets that sprang tubular tendrils at the collar and sleeves. Like their updated versions of the bow blouse, they offered a fun take on the twisted ribbons of wrapping paper.
But with rain still lashing the French capital heading into summer, this lineup made a compelling argument to look like those sensible Brits and throw on an extra layer.
