Perhaps influenced by streamlining, modernising or cost cutting, Bailey elected to shake things up and show all seasons and genders in a single intrinsically British show. The venue Makers House, a former Foyles bookstore newly dedicated to the celebration of craft and workmanship, reflected the throwback vibes perfectly and played host to the usual coterie of top British celebrities.
Alexa Chung, Olivia Palermo, Cara Delevingne, Edie Campbell, Nicholas Hoult and Jenna Coleman posed for the cameras and featured heavily on Burberry’s Instagram and Snapchat in the run up to the show. Bailey took inspiration from the novel, Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, for the latest catwalk presentation. At once bohemian, romantic and gothic the latest collection mirrors the supernatural and gender bending themes of Woolf’s strange story of a poet who lives for 300 years and switches from a man to a woman. The collection delivered heritage, craftsmanship, drama and borrowed tastefully from the Elizabethan and Victorian eras.
Ruffles, silk blouses, python skins and studded belts joined forces with the classic trench in a collection featuring over 80 intrinsically British looks. Earlier in 2016 Burberry asked Hand & Lock to produce 17,000 metres of silver russia braid which was used to embellish the three intricately decorated jackets. Inspired by the Hussar uniforms worn by cavalrymen in the 18th and 19th centuries, each jacket features hand worked russia braid, domed buttons and the finest wools. Bailey’s new see-now-buy-now approach to fashion presentations means the pieces were available to buy immediately after the show.
