«Has any musician affected menswear more than David Bowie? Of course
not: the menswear business should have paid him royalties. At today’s Burberry
show, the first of significance since the news broke this morning of Bowie’s
passing, the house paid impromptu tribute to the most exuberantly original
re-inventor of them all. Before and after the show, his songs played. And
makeup artist Wendy Rowe applied a glittery stardust sprinkle to the cheekbones
of the models. Backstage, Christopher Bailey said Bowie’s influence was: “huge
when I was growing up. He was the music that I got inspired by as a kid. He
kind of showed you different ways of living, of expressing your personality, in
his music and fashion. And there was the way he lived his life; there was such a
private side to him and such a flamboyant side. He had huge impact on many
people, certainly me. Not yesterday but the day before we were looking at a
picture of Bowie wearing a Burberry trenchcoat in the ’60s. We’d just been
literally talking about his influence. And then, this morning… it’s incredibly
sad.”». Reported
Vogue after the show, as they continued «Mark
Ronson was in the celebrity section: as “Starman” was playing on the PA, we
asked for his thoughts. He said: “Actually I had this friend, who died six - no
nine - years ago now. And we played ‘Starman’ at his funeral. That has nothing
to do with anything you just asked me, but I just thought about it. Yes, it
does feel pretty weird to be at a fashion show. Pretty much he probably affects
everybody - so much in music, so much in art, so much in fashion. I don’t have
an eloquent way to put it. It’s sad. But then, his music will be affecting
generations. It has already affected three generations - his, to mine, to the
next - and it will be that way I’m sure for hundreds of years.”».
English composer and winner of the Mercury Benjamin Clementine Award, held
a live performance in the middle of the runway, along with a group of cellists
and Gary Powell, The Libertines’ drummer. Benjamin sang three songs from his
debut album, “Condolence”, “Nemesis” and “Adios”, and “At least for now”. The
show has been broadcasted live on the new Burberry App for Apple TV, crowning
Burberry as the first brand distributing such an event on this platform. The
Burberry App allows to access Burberry Acoustic musical videos’ archive, to the
highlights of previous Burberry shows and Burberry Beauty make-up tutorials
created by make-up artists Wendy Rowe. Further contents and live experiences
will be added in the future.
So Bowie was very much in the room.
And while it was a little weird to be at a fashion show, it seemed apposite
too. Kind of right. Beneath the Bowie, this collection was notable for both its
depth and (seeming) simplicity: depending on your perspective, it was either a
collection without a concept or a collection whose concept was so broadly
all-encompassing that it defied the categorization. In short, it was all about
outerwear. Of almost every kind. And - via the Burberry archives - drawn from
every vintage.
Presented in a space created just for the event inside Kensigton Gardens in
London, the collection celebrated the union of the lines and of the styles of
the British ready-to-wear brand. In fact, the collection’s palette plays with
many shades like blue, black, white, green, camel, mustard and grey.
This show was a fleet review of
Burberry outerwear: the flotilla included red-flashed greatcoats, checked
topcoats, military capes, several dreamily felted duffle coats, Arctic parkas,
fishtail parkas, multiple trenches, of course, truckers, bombers, blousons,
piuminos, furs, reverse-shearling aviators, and a few tailored jackets for good
measure. The key piece, though, seemed to be the track top - sometimes
half-zipped, sometimes full - which was used once or twice as outerwear but
more often as the connective membrane between all the genres of and subgenres
of the coat worn above them. White zippered, and with a loose long collar that
allowed for both pragmatic and aesthetic protection of the body, the Burberry
variation on the generic late-’70s nylon track top provided a blank space, which
later sparkled in sequin applications, upon which to present the clothes above.
Unless below suiting, the pants were most often military-track hybrids, narrow
and light, often with cavalry flashes down the leg. These were worn above dark,
simple sneakers with rubber nodules on the toe and contra-color sliver foam
soles, or loafers. If there was a unifying theme, it was Unifying.
Fashion may be in
Christopher Bailey's blood, but music has been an integral, deeply embedded
part of his vision of Burberry, the brand for which he serves as CEO and chief
creative officer. So it made perfect sense that today, during his fall 2016
runway show (tracksuits topped with voluminous versions of classic outerwear),
there were subtle references to the iconoclastic performer in the models
glittery eye makeup. In a more overt gesture, one model came out with her palms
solemnly extended so that the audience could read Bowie written across them. «He showed us a totally different way of
being and expressing a personality through fashion and music and the way he
dressed. And yet there was always privacy, a private side and a flamboyant
side.», Bailey said. «He influenced
so many people, and certainly me.».
«Changes were afoot at
Burberry's FW16: first was the change in the name (the house decided to
consolidate many of their superfluous lines into one range: Burberry), then
came a more intimate runway show, with models and audience members mere inches
apart, instead of the label's usual ultra-wide runway. Finally, the clothes
were different as well. They were still tailored but slouchier and roomier,
befitting the trend at nearly every collection. The mood was also considerably
dark and moodier, take the Buffalo plaids and oversized military-surplus
bombers, both of which gave the looks a grungy vibe. That being said, this is
still Burberry, arguably the most important and famous British label so no
matter how grungy or melancholy the clothes, they were still covetable, with
plenty of bags (like their new satchels) and classic trenches to grab the
attention of their loyal fans».
Last November Burberry announced
that 2016 is the year it merges all of its lines: Prorsum, London, and Brit.
Here those traditional criteria for an auspicious wedding were met by the
archive coats, a new satchel bag, the track tops, and a blue-bodied,
red-flashed peacoat, respectively. «It’s
about standing for something and being proud of who you are,» said Bailey, «saying that this is your personality, with
everything working together in a world that’s changing quite dramatically.».
More than 700 guests took part to the show, among Steve
McQueen, Brooklyn Beckham, Mark Ronson, Josephine de la Baume, Tinie Tempah,
Jourdan Dunn, Amber Anderson, Ed Skrein, Florence Kosky, Ben Gregory,
LiamGardner, Jack Garratt, Lee Jong Suk, Dermot O’Leary, George Barnett,
Gabriel Kane Day Lewis, Nick Grimshaw, Toby Huntington-Whiteley, Johannes
Huebl, Dougie Poynter, Hu Bing, Alex Lawther, JoshWhitehouse, Jack Guinness,
David Gandy, Jim Chapman, Jamal Edwards e Rafferty Law.
Between the models
on the runway, the protagonists of the actual Burberry campaign: Sol Goss,
Louie Johnson, Ruth e May Bell, Eliza Fairbanks, Hayett McCarthy. Along them,
Chinese singer and actor Kris Wu made his debut on the catwalk.
We remember that every time we see
that a Burberry show is on my calendar it makes our day. This time was no
exception. The collection was outstanding yet again. We especially loved that
the brand really stays true to its routes, which makes Burberry really worthy. Our
favorite pieces were the navy green parka with the white fur and the fur coat.
I also really loved the classic trench coats because they were really well
made, nicely shaped and simply classic. Even the buttons were really there
where they're supposed to be, visually. We liked that Christopher put in the
show David Bowie, written on the palms of models hands and the bags as well as
seen on Snapchat during and before the show, which was really nice to see. Burberry
always makes not just a fashion show but a spectacle and this time around they
went big, from who sat in the front row to who performed at the show.
Timi Letonja - Simone Bronzi
CEO & Founder of RooMXMatez TM -
Creative Director of RooMXMatez TM
It's a story about two room mates who just love living their lives. Join our journey. «To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.»
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