Who: Burberry Prorsum
What: Autumnal tones, trademark slim-fit trench coats, woven fabrics and wooden beading; creating an affinity with both nature and a hint of Africa.
Highlights: Textured woven wools set in coloured stripes, ethnic-style prints featuring 3D wooden shapes as embellishment and peaked caps bearing oversized pom poms.
Lowlights: It’s a sumptuous colour palette, but the plums, burnt oranges and earthy green tones feel more akin to autumn.
Overall: If Christopher Bailey’s best seasons are in the winter, he sure as hell knows it. The designer has played his strength to his advantage next season, and for spring 2012 delivers a palette rich in leafy tones with a plethora of jackets to boot. It’s no surprise – Burberry’s heritage lies in its outerwear, after all – that Bailey should show such a collection, and if he anticipates a sun-less summer next year, we’re sure as hell joining him for the ride.
High-waisted skirts, softly fluted at the hem, floated to mid-calves and were teamed with fitted knits that were woven in crochet stripes with wooden beads attached. More beads decorated necklines and shoulders of tops and gradually transformed into multi-coloured shapes on jackets. Shoes were also beaded, as were waist-cinching belts that are bound to replicated everywhere next spring.
Slinky silk shirts in sumptuous mustard sat alongside punchy plums, slate blues, earthy greens and rusty oranges, some of which appeared together in graphic, African-inspired prints on jackets and gathered draped skirts with over-sized ties. Coats – spanning belted leather trenches to enlarged bubble parkers – were textured and grainy, and came with various forms of detail from beaded collars to leather-bound edges.
For all it’s wintry appearance, Christopher Bailey has delivered perhaps one of the most wearable collections from Burberry for several seasons – and you’ll be glad to hear his spacier silhouette has room for everyone.
Watch the video of Burberry’s spring/summer 2012 collection below:
Image: catwalking.com
