Christopher Bailey titled his Autumn / Winter 2013 collection for Burberry Prorsum as “I ♥ CLASSICS”. So one would have expected throwback heritage pieces to parade down the catwalk. But instead, on a cold Milanese day, it was the jungle animals that came out to play.
Leopard print on trenches and pointed bluchers, tiger print on satchels and totes. The owls and foxes from last year’s Fall 2012 had been replaced with a wilder cohort. There was something rather primal and edgy about the collection, and in that sense, there was a whiff of Bailey’s celebrated Spring 2011 collection with its black leather moto jackets and studded trenches. That subversive punk element was most evident in the semi-transparent latex coats (paired with heart print shirts) that closed the show.
It was a studied departure from the metallic pieces that shimmered down the runway a few months earlier at the Spring 2013 shows (which are finding their way into stores now). Yet, as always, it was the outerwear that anchored the collection. From the extravagant (a top coat constructed out of pony hair) to the commercially-minded (classic camel coats), Bailey continues to ply the brand’s signature pieces with fresh inspiration.
Favourite Pieces:
That single-breasted camel trench. Gun-flaps removed for a clean and timeless aesthetic. Who needs gun-flaps anyway? We’re not American.
That red needle-punched heart sweater. Where’s the love? It’s right here Justin Timberlake.
That small and large leopard print top coat. Go big or go home. Admittedly, not for the shy wallflower. Or for any man that is not Bryan Boy for that matter.