London — After a decade of showing in Milan, the Burberry Prorsum Spring Summer 2010 show in London began with statuesque models cascading down the catwalk in what appeared to be a brand metamorphosis. Christopher Bailey, the young British designer put glamour into the austere line known for its English countryside appeal and classic cut military-inspired trench coats. Since Bailey took the helm of Burberry as creative director in 2001 he has done for Burberry what Tom Ford did for Gucci. He ushered the label into a new era and transformed the brand for a new generation.
There was plenty to catch the eye in the Burberry Prorsum Spring Summer 2010 Collection. Everything that hit the catwalk was in some fashion ruched, draped, twisted, or knotted. Even the sky-high wedges were strappy and banded or twisty and knotted. Burberry shed its countryside roots to embrace a look worthy of the young jet setting crowd and it was evident by the who’s who of young Hollywood that ruled the front row including Mary-Kate Olsen, Liv Tyler, Freida Pinto, and Emma Watson — the face of Burberry — who wore a glittery gold ultra-mini shift dress from the spring summer 2010 collection.
The most notable change in the look of Burberry was in Bailey’s reinterpretation of the trench. There were myriad looks from a horizontal ribbed mini version and a bubble style with ruffles to a futuristic pale lavender trench with asymmetrical ruched shoulders (one higher than the other) and a satin bubble trench with petal-like embellishments.
Almost everything was thigh grazing in neutral, pale, and pastel hues. The edgy looks reinvigorated the label and wove life into the collection. It was sleek and modern with a straight tubular silhouette. There were a bevy of beautiful pieces like a sequined covered coat and short sleeve jacket that looked like crumpled foil had been affixed to them. There was a jacket with fabric laced at the shoulders, which created a basket weave appearance. Some pieces seemed to be purposefully ill fitting with asymmetrical sleeves, where one fell slightly shorter than the other. Other garments gently pulled at closures and looked as if they were created haphazardly. There were tops with bands that twist and knotted across the body and jodhpur-like leggings with horizontal ribbing. And, almost everything was belted.
The accessories were just as stunning with bags mimicking Bailey’s love of texture in suede and crock with the same ruching, twisting, and knotting details. There was very little of the classic Burberry Haymarket check. The iconic print was almost a no show only making an appearance in clutches and handbags, except in the textured pattern of the gray scrunched socks. Jewelry was minimal except for angular, chunky Lucite bracelets.
The makeup was a cool complement to the collection, giving a pale, wide-eyed, fresh appeal, while the hair was kept simple, either bone straight with a center part or in a bob with blunt cut bangs.
There’s no mistaking who Bailey’s target audience was for this uber modern, ultra sophisticated show, and he is not shy about his intentions. One just has to take notice of the social networking sites that were all a buzz on show day like Facebook, where Burberry gave updates counting down to when the collection hit the runway and a live stream video of the show. There were also Tweet alerts on Twitter with messages like how to reserve a made-to-order trench coat previewed during the show.
At the close of the show, metallic confetti rained down to a final procession of the models. It was almost like a celebration of a new year, but instead it was a celebration of a new generation and a revived presence for Burberry. It was a befitting show to end London Fashion Week on its 25th Anniversary and a long awaited homecoming for Burberry Prorsum.
(Photo credits: style.com)
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