Christopher Bailey s formula is to find a piece of British iconography to match the mood of the season, and then apply it to the fundamentals of Burberry s heritage. For spring, like many other designers, he s thinking about making things "lighter and more joyous," and he found the key while leafing through a book of Cecil Beaton s photographs.
It was Beaton s whimsical early portraits from the twenties that caught his eye most: "The ones where he used cellophane, feathers, and sequins in studio photographs of his sister Baba and other debs." Bailey took that as a cue to give the familiar Burberry trench a new treatment, puffing gentle volume into the shapes, and working a palette of palest beige and silvery metallics into lace and high-tech brocades made from lightweight aluminum and silk.
His best summer coat came narrowish in front with a barrel-shaped volume curving from a yoke in back. Otherwise, there were cute variations on Bailey s short swing jackets, softly belled skirts, and his version of the season s shirtdress. As for the bags, they came big, squashy, and belted with a signature trench-buckle in silver python, a punchy detail to pull the look together. In all? Plenty that will appeal in stores, if no great departure from Bailey s tried-and-tested approach.
