Oh look, there is someone else piping in on the piped trench I love so much.
So lovely in midnight blue, too.
Burberry's take on the crisp trench: belted, piped, trimmed...sold.
Image courtesy of Burberry.
Déjà Vu: Lumberjackets
Burberry checks? Check.
A Burberry women's coat for FW11.
Lumberjack track? Check.
Glam lumberjacks in their lumberjackets, at the Burberry FW11 menswear show.
Expressionist impressions? Check.
Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden, 1926 by German Expressionist painter, Otto Dix.
See other posts on Fashion and Art.
See more Otto Dix.
See more Burberry.
Top two images courtesy of Burberry. Otto Dix image courtesy of Wikipedia.
Hot to Trot
So apparently, it’s been cool in London this season.
You can always give off heat.
Plus, you now have a reason to wear stilts and studs in Summer.
Always look at the positive side, my dears.
Like you need an actual reason to wear these?
Image: Burberry.
Campaign Season
Hard to believe, but it’s already FW11 ad campaign preview time.
Here’s what Burberry’s ads will look like, come autumn.
As always, there are coveted pieces in this Burberry collection.
The colours are rich, the fabrics lush.
And my friends laughed when I first matched my umbrella to my outfits over 20 years ago.
Slick cover-ups for slick weather.
I'd like a custom-fit Burberry men's suit for moi.
The cape remains a viable option for those cool, but not cold days.
Olive, what's not to love?
Images courtesy of Burberry.
Saturday Stud
Girls, aren’t we all looking for one of these?
A little classic + a little punk rock + with a British accent, a Burberry British accent.
Can’t you see him draping this coat around your shoulders when it gets cool?
Could he be any cooler in it?
Image courtesy of Burberry.
The Sun and the Rain
Mr. Bailey is a muso. And so am I.
Loved this little vid from a little brand called Burberry, featuring a little band called Madness.
The April Showers at my end were in the form of nostalgic (happy) tears at hearing this lit’l tune again after so long.
It’s part of Bailey’s Music Mondays – which in the past have featured acoustic performances and videos of new and older tunes, alike.
The Big B continues his world domination of the other big B in well, Beijing later this week, with the official launch of a 12,500 square foot boutique in China’s capital.
And in keeping with the musical roots of the brand, Brit band Keane will be performing at the launch, which promises to be Burberry’s biggest mash-up of fashion, music and technology to date. The whole thing will be live streamed on Burberry.com, on Wednesday.
The world’s gone gaga over Burb.
Call is Utter Madness (incidentally, also the title of a greatest hits record by Suggs et al).
Electric Avenue
That blue is back again.
You know the one – you wore it years ago, for that pop of colour – back when pop music was heard on the spirit of radio?
I opted for electric blue when fluorescent colours were all the rage back then. It was under the radar, over ultra-glow, neon yellows, pinks, oranges and greens. I had electric blue socks and an over-sized, handknit mohair cardi in the same hue. I always wore it with black.
Call it brilliant blue, electric blue, cerulean, azure or phthalo - it’s back with a vibrant vengeance.
I’ve been collecting these images for several seasons now. At first, there were random outbursts of colour…but collections for Spring and Fall 2011 are saturated in blue notes – from couture to common, everyday fashion.
These are not your mother’s blues, my dears. These are make-an-entrance, knock-em-dead outfits that will have reds blushing.
Pimp and Circums-dance: Gucci's decked out '70s disco ladies for FW11. Love the deep red, glossy lip as a contrast to the blue - a new view for my eyes.
Look what the wind blue in – can you imagine these next two on a breezy day? (Note, I didn’t say windy – a subtle breeze is all we want.)
You'd be nothing short of electrifying in this pant/gown combination from Stéphane Rolland, from his Fall 2010 Couture collection. Je need.
Fringin' Fabulous: Emily Blunt, wearing Tom Ford SS11 in the January 2011 issue of Harper's Bazaar UK.
Or you can create your own movement and express yourself…
Debbie Harry spins circles in electric blue in Blondie's Call Me video, 1980.
…the Expressionists certainly did.
Five Women in the Street by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1913.
This Christian Siriano ruffled dress from FW10 belongs in a painting, no?
Whether in a painting or at a dance, these rich shades and fabrics will have you panting for more.
1950s dance dress from Shrimpton Couture - you make me feel like dancing, I wanna dance the night away...
The shades from season to season vary slightly, but there is a boldness in each blue.
What a tangled blue web we weave - Gaultier Spring 2010 Couture.
Mabille showed a split personality for his Spring 2010 Couture show - part of which was blue.
I was obsessed with phthalo blue in my art school years – it had a depth and transparency all at once. Currently, I am obsessed with this gorgeous gown from Bibhu Mohapatra, which to me, exhibits the same qualities – it’s just frothy enough and yet solid in that impeccable neckline and romantic in that empire waistline. I would love to wear this to an art opening, to bring the phthalo full circle.
Frothy, without the frou at Bibhu Mohapatra, SS11.
Even if it’s a darker blue like navy or midnight, it’s a change from the LBD for evening.
Sweetheart, I'm yours - Armani Cruise 2011.
Wayne Clark - a true blue Canadian couturier - did this perfect layered dress in the '80s. This one is sold on Shrimpton Couture - sorry darlings.
It’s also a great way to add a little flair to your day.
Blue-accented grey, tailored glen plaid gets a soft, billowy blue jacket at Pringle, FW11.
The opposite sich at Stella SS10 - a crisp jacket covers looser pants.
I love how the suit has returned, but in what I call Suit 2.0 – the more social, interactive suit – it allows a girl to move. This shade will also make you stand out in the corporate hierarchy.
Slant twist on a classic blue suit at Costume National SS11.
And quite frankly, also at fashion fêtes the world over – because everyone else will be wearing buh-lack.
It looks just as great in "real life" - front-row-seaters Stafania Rocca and Fabio Novembre at the Costume show.
Imagine this on a dreary and rainy day.
Military or Mod? A coat from the Burberry FW10 show.
In this Rachel Roy, you can slink just about anywhere…but might need your own soundtrack to accompany you.
Rachel Roy shows how sexy a suit can be - from her SS10 collection.
You can toy with your multiple personalities.
Viktor and Rolf - always playing around with how to present their clothes. This suit comes in life-size versions, aussi.
The men can play this game, too.
A colour-blocked coat at Dries Menswear FW11.
Jonathan Saunders had a similar thought - only he was seeing double blue for FW11.
Flirt with as much – or as little colour as you can handle. And be sure to coordinate it with your landscape du jour.
I loved this image by Garance Doré, taken on Ipanema Beach last summer – the play of sunlight, the Louboutin sole against the patent blue, against the straw and sand.
It perfectly captures the energy of Rio as I imagine it to be. “Tall and tan and young and lovely…the girl from Ipanema goes walking and when she passes, each one she passes goes Ahhhhh…”
They know how to do colour on Ipanema Beach. Not sure which I love more in this photo by Garance Doré.
You might have to change your tune and give a nod to Mod with these on.
1960s Carnaby Street strutters, according to Pierre Cardin - part of the Bata Shoe Museum collection. I photographed these on a visit last Spring.
And really, could a post like this be complete without a couple of pairs of Blue Suede Shoes?
Strapped and ready to stroll. Hermès SS10 sandals.
Punk prancers by YSL for FW10.
My head is now exploding with musical references from punk days (mohawk heels, anyone?) to the glitz and groove of glam rock. Perfect boots to Do the Strand in?
These Givenchy Spring 2010 Couture boots are not only glam, they are glam rock, baby.
These had me taking steps a few hundred years back.
Velvet crush: Alberta Ferretti goes medieval mod for FW11.
If you can’t walk a mile in those shoes, perhaps you can add a not so subtle bauble to your otherwise neutral ensemble?
This Rado Blue Fascination Jubilé timekeeper has an 18K gold bracelet with 206 diamonds, a scratch-resistant sapphire crystal face and hi-tech ceramic bracelet. Did your heart just skip a beat or few? It will set you back a cool 40K at Birks.
Oh, and let me borrow it? My cost per wear would be sky-high, since I only dabble in colour on occasion.
Keep Feeling Fascination: Rado's Blue Fascination watch.
So, really, this colour has you covered.
Peek-a-blue: I see you. JPG Spring 2010 Couture millinery at its finest.
It may be a cool tone, but its intensity will have you energized.
Clearly, I am taken with this Gucci topper - I'll add it to the list.
The trick to looking chic: a turquoise Treacy. Top marks.
It will leave you – electrified.
We're gonna rock down to Electric Avenue. Armani Privé Spring 2011.
I’ll have the remaining blue-hued images for you in part deux (yes, there are more if you can believe it).
Image Sources: 1. Vogue.com; 2. Elle.com; 3. Harper’s Bazaar UK; 4. You Tube; 5. Stegosauro; 6. NY Post; 7. Shrimpton Couture; 8, 9. Style.com; 10. Courtesy of Bibhu Mohapatra; 11. Style.com; 12. Shrimpton Couture; 13. Vogue.com; 14. WWD; 15. Elle.com; 16. Courtesy of Costume National; 17. Getty Images; 18. Style.com; 19. Courtesy of Viktor and Rolf; 20. Style.com; 21. Vogue.com; 22. Garance Dore; 23. Pierre Cardin Shoes at the Bata photographed by Me; 24-26 Style.com; 27. Vogue.com; 28. Courtesy of Rado; 29. Style.com; 30. Vogue.com; 31. Luxury Emporium; 32. Vogue.com.
A Clutch of Colour
If you aren’t ready for full-on fuchsias, brilliant blues or the colossal kaleidoscope of colour that is this season’s signature, you can hover on the hue horizon with just a clutch of colour.
A touch of turquoise.
Add a little tangerine dream to your usual black.
Chartreuse muse.
Aqua girl.
It’s all part of the Burberry Brights collection for SS11.
Images courtesy of Burberry.
Holi Colour, Batman
While Batman preferred the cover of darkness and all things noir, this is not the time for it.
It’s Spring, my dears. Whether you measure it by groundhog predictions, or calendar dates or Supermoons, the ushering of a new season is upon us.
For me, there is only one start to this season of all things new – Holi, which is celebrated with vigor, vibrancy and a joie de vivre by the people of India, a place I lovingly call the Motherland.
I remember Holi celebrations of my childhood in (old New) Delhi – wearing old whites and then spraying family and neighbours with powdered colours and colour-filled water balloons. It truly was – and is - a celebration of joy, of colour, of the welcoming of Spring and all its glory into your world.
So, do that today. Surround yourself with colour.
1. Sunburst: Christopher Kane's stamped florals for SS11.
2. Issey Miyake's SS11 smock dress.
3. Turn things around this Spring - Atsu Summer Resort 2011 dress.
4. Haider Ackermann sTeals my heart each season.
5. Poetic licence - Haider SS11 gown.
6. Peel me a grape. Ports 1961 SS11 gown.
7. Fade in: this Dries jacket for SS11 lets you slowly ease into colour.
8. You'll get lots of compliments wearing these complementing florals by Dries.
9. Like something out of the MoMA - Raf Simons for Jil Sander SS11.
10. Little Shilpa, an accessories designer from India, was all about blooms for Summer Resort 2011.
11. Any damsel in this dress would emerge golden. Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen SS11.
12. 3-D florals at Vera Wang SS11.
13. Sultry spring in the tropics, according to Marc Jacobs for SS11.
14. Floral armbands at Mary Katrantzou SS11.
15. The master of prints and pattern, Sabyasachi X 3 for Summer Resort 2011.
16. Stella was all about the juicy details for SS11.
17. Butterfly Babe at Alexander McQueen by Sarah Burton for SS11.
18. Subtle hues at Dries SS11.
19. Bang on bangles at Manish Arora SS11 - a bolder take on an arm full of clinking, thin, glass bangles in India?
20: Manish Arora has never been shy with his use of pigments. SS11 printed coat and technicolor PVC leggings.
21. The printed palette of Erdem, SS11.
22. A shred of decency at Vivienne Westwood Red Label SS11.
23. Don't turn your back on the possibilities. Vera Wang SS11.
24. There is hope and redemption in the coming months. Vera Wang SS11.
25. A wild and bold runway at Burberry SS11. Your own runway awaits.
26. Soft, billowy stripes at Rimi Nayak Summer Resort 2011.
27. Loden and behold - Akris SS11 buttery leather jacket.
28. Creative colour blocking at Jil Sander SS11.
29. A petite floral lace frock at Erdem SS11.
30. This Oscar de la Renta number would be great for a stroll along distant shores.
31. I might also need this to celebrate Canada Day this year. Vera Wang SS11.
32. Grecian goddess of the coral sea, according to Shantanu and Nikhil, Summer Resort 2011.
33. Laxmi Menon in ODLR SS11.
34. Wearing colour - and life, really - is all about balancing the details. ODLR SS11.
35. You just have to be smart about both, and face each with absolute confidence. Costume National SS11.
With all of the darkness we have been enveloped by lately and the heaviness that hangs over us, take the time today to celebrate all that is good, all that is joyous in your own life.
That collective energy, those positive thoughts are immense in their strength.
They can move more than you think they can.
The sky is powerful right now and the planets are listening.
Shout it to the top!
Images 1, 7, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 24, 29-31, 33, 34 – Vogue.com. Images 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 19, 20, 22, 27, 28, 35 – Elle.com. Images 3, 10, 15, 26, 32 courtesy of Lakme Fashion Week. Image 11 courtesy of Alexander McQueen. Image 13 by Scott Schuman. Image 17 by Peter Stigter. Image 25 courtesy of Burberry.
Big Burberry
Big Ben might very well be a London landmark, but another large B is changing the times we live in.
When Big Ben rings 4 pm in Londontown on Monday, Burberry, the venerable Brit brand that literally started in the trenches of war, will take over another famous landmark.
Piccadilly Circus will become a fashion circus, broadcasting the Burberry FW11 show from Kensington Gardens, for all to see on the large screens that dominate the infamous ‘town square’.
In addition to taking over a significant corner of the city during London Fashion Week, the show will also be streamed online via their corporate site, into the hands of the iHandheld generation, and in 40 Burberry stores across the globe, simultaneously.
Burberry seem to outdo themselves each season – and this latest effort at world domination is no exception.
With each show stream, with each tweet and with the immediate availability of next season’s collection to awaiting customers the moment a show ends, Christopher Bailey and Angela Ahrendts take another sartorial and savvy step forward, pushing themselves beyond their last limit.
It’s clear who is winning the digital fashion war – and who is dressing the troops in the tech trenches.
My photo illustration of Burberry's London takeover.
More Burberry stories…
India’s Checkered Present
Christopher Bailey and Angela Ahrendts glammed it up in Mumbai, earlier this week. They were in the Motherland to celebrate Burberry’s store opening in the home of film and frou, as well as their fashion footprint in the country as a whole.
Angela Ahrendts, Christopher Bailey, Dev Patel and Sanjay Kapoor. Could you not squeeze Patel's cheeks every time you see him?
Preity Zinta does modern military.
Karan Johar looking just dandy.
Ah, a classic sari. I'll even forgive the halter because I so love the mix or orange and red and gold, here, on Mandira Bedi. That's not a first party sighting of the same Bottega clutch, by the way.
In Mumbai, anything goes - even white pants in December! Rahul Khanna, looking dapper and Gatsby-esque.
Shilpa Shetty: poised in plum Prorsum? A few too many accessories for my liking but she is so gorgeous, it doesn't matter, does it?
Sushmita Sen, giving Burberry the cold shoulder by wearing a dress by Donna Karan (Bailey's old boss).
Here’s a slick vid from the company of the event – the contrast of everyday folks in Mumbai vs. India’s new fashion elite did not go unnoticed on this side of the world. India’s checkered present?
Although I do adore this track by The Cheek (Rory Cottam of the band was the party DJ for a bit, too), it would be have been nice to see fellow muso, Bailey choose an Indian indie band for the soundtrack. He did mention there was a local band at the event (Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan gave an acoustic performance – although classical musicians would be a better description than “band”). Next time, Mr. Bailey might want to ring up Arjun S Ravi to get a few on the bill.
The new store is the second for the company in Mumbai, which also has retail therapy locations in Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
I saw a definite Indian influence in a few Burberry coats this past season. Wonder if Bailey’s first trip to the country will inspire him beyond that…
Read more about India’s lust for western retail in India Goes Gaga for Gucci and Zara Dekhna: Inditex Invades India.
Images courtesy of Vogue India.
Cozy Cozy at BrrrBerry
I woke up this morning feeling a little Mod.
Something about October makes me miss London, lots…so I put on my belted trench, a skinny ankle-length pant and my well-worn pointy double-decker-red boots.
Fashion can transport you to places you cannot immediately travel to.
After a Bloor Street meeting this morning (in Toronto), I zipped in to Burberry to visit my would-be zippered military coat from the FW10 Burberry Prorsum collection. I’ve seen a picture of my love but we haven’t been formally introduced.
Hip, unzipped at Burberry Prorsum FW10.
The decadence is in the details, darling.
I also wanted to see the Winter Storms capsule collection up close.
I have to say my visit was nothing short of cozy.
Now if you know this space, you know that I was not in that store with the intention of writing about it, nor did the olive over-the-knee snakeskin stilts arrive at my doorstep to entice me (can you check the doorstep again – are you sure they aren’t magically there?).
Ode to a boot. The stuff of poetry - Edwardian or otherwise.
I was a Mod girl on a mad, military (coat) mission.
From the moment I walked in, I was greeted warmly by two gentlemen – security and sales. I inquired about the specific items I was seeking and the sales gentleman knew exactly of which coats I spoke. A true professional, he told me they were being unwrapped “just now”. We both did that shoulder raise/gush that a kid in a candy store does. A good sales professional not only knows his stuff, he feels and shares your excitement about the right coat.
On the second floor, a Prorsum bag called my name as I arrived. Quite the stud. Then the perfect riding boot interrupted us. And when I say perfect, I mean Edwardian with edge. Now if only I could find a gentleman that fit that description…but I digress…
I was given breathing room to experience the collection on my own and just when a question entered my mind, a lovely woman breezed by and said she’d be with me in a moment. Impeccable.
The half-zip military coat was AWOL this visit – the only two in Toronto are in someone else’s closets (lucky girls). Winter Storms were just blowing in, but the one on the top of my list hasn’t arrived yet. However, I am now on their list, without having to ask. Another gentleman who was folding gorgeous bordeaux sweaters within hearing distance also joined the conversation.
Burberry has been a brand to watch for some time now. The collection has gotten stronger each season for the past few years with Christopher Bailey’s creative direction – the clothes are appealing to multiple ages and have the rare combination of quality, wearability and (forgive me, Christopher) a new wave-length. They’ve really embraced digital media, launched a Beauty line and their sales figures don’t lie – they’re a fashion force to be reckoned with.
However, for me, the brand’s true value was crystal clear with my experience in the store today.
This is a company that really understands people. They’ve taken the time to train, educate and empower their front-line employees. They are engaged about the pieces – the woman I dealt with not only knew the entire season’s collection, she praised that Bailey had “outdone himself this season” (a genuine sentiment – and one I happen to share). She brought out a few pieces for me to try that hadn’t hit the sales floor yet, noted other items I expressed interest in, yet didn’t push me towards a single one. She also understood my aesthetic almost immediately, instinctually.
So with all this talk of branding these days by non-marketers (I’m a card-carrying member of 15 years), it’s wonderful to see a company actually practice all 360-degrees of it.
Those coats are toasty, but that lovely energy will keep everyone warm all winter.
As I was leaving, I not only got a goodbye and thank you downstairs, but a familiar voice – or three were heard overhead. Vintage – and rare Thompson Twins.
And the circle is complete.
[I'll be posting more of my faves from the women's collection in the coming weeks. The Burberry FW10 Menswear collection was very New Model Army and a little Modern Maharajah.]
Déjà Vu: Zippety Doo Da
The lines are starting to blur.
The toothy seams from Haider Ackermann’s FW09 collection…
High waisted it seams at Haider Ackermann FW09
Pedal to the metal, madame.
…zipped on over to Burberry for SS 2011.
Hip to be zipped at Burberry SS11
Hard and soft at Burberry SS11
All photos from Style.com.
Burberry: Knot to be Outdone
Burberry has become ubiquitous nowadays. If you don’t think so, consider where the brand was a year ago and think of the number of times you’ve heard about them or come across the big B just in your daily travels recently.
Whether your encounter is of the human variety where an infamous check or trench walks by you on a regular basis (on person or pooch), or whether your encounter is more intimate – in your closet or on your laptop, perhaps – Burberry items are coveted.
The company has been making a big social media splash with partners like Scott Schuman who recently photographed the Art of the Trench campaign. They also streamed their show online like a closet-full of other global brands, but in a key distinguishing move, they made the goods that you viewed available for order at the same time. Other brands have yet to leverage the immediate, impulse buying power of the web in the same way. Burberry knew the emotional connection their audience had with them – they built up the hype around the show and made us all a part of it. We now had access, not only to a front row seat, but to the front of the buyer’s list.
Burberry and its head of creative everything – one Christopher Bailey – have become household names (at least in chic households the world over). As a sidenote, I’m wondering why Bailey wasn’t on the Fast Company 100 Most Creative People in Business list, released earlier today? Food for thought.
Well, his efforts aren’t for nought. Numbers, you see, don’t lie. WWD reported (also this morning) that the company’s profits this year until March 31st rose to 82.2 million pounds, or $131.5 million (USD). That’s a sales spike of 6.5 percent – spiked sky-high boots for FW10 not yet accounted for (but they are on my shopping list – and likely yours, too).
Compare that to last year, when the brand actually registered a loss of 5.1 million pounds, or $8.2 million (USD).
Sales rose to 1.28 billion pounds, or $2.04 billion (USD). Chief executive Angela Ahrendts told WWD about the future: “Looking forward, while mindful of the economic environment, Burberry plans to build on its strong financial position by accelerating investment in growth initiatives in retail, digital, and new markets, while continuing to enhance the brand.”
It goes to show you, while there were twists and turns in their path, Burberry is a brand (k)not to be messed with. Here are a few of my faves from the SS10 collection.
Twisted sister at Burberry
Ravishing in ruched trousers
Knotted and besotted - the classic trench swishes and sashays.
Every story has twists. Just keep moving forward.
All figures (and quote) from WWD. Images from Style.com.
Burberry Blush
That blush on your face? It will soon be because of Burberry. No, Mr. Bailey hasn’t declared you his new BFF. The Chief Creative Officer extraordinaire of the worldwide whirlwind brand is launching a line of cosmetics.
Beauty by Burberry - to be yours in July
The line – made up of 96 products is said to be inspired by the infamous Burberry trench and will be launched in July in partnership with the big B’s beauty licensee, Inter Parfums.
The Talented Mr. Bailey. Photo by Ben Wright
Bailey told WWD: “It started because I felt that, at shows and the shoots, the whole [Burberry] attitude is epitomized through the shoes, the bags, the clothes, the accessories, but then the face was the one thing I really struggled with. When we were doing makeup, I felt like we weren’t able to get the right attitude. It was either caked-on makeup or then just the wrong colo[u]rs, the wrong tones, the wrong spirit for makeup. I wanted it to be this kind of effortless elegance.”
Given the success of the brand, I am guessing it’s not just the packaging that will be magnetic.
Add it to your beauty to do list: get a new look in July. Check.
Photos courtesy of WWD, where you can also read the full article.
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