Daniel Lee ends LFW on a high with his latest collection for Burberry
Daniel Lee ends LFW on a high with his latest collection for Burberry
Creative Director of Burberry closes the 40th anniversary of London Fashion Week with his vintage-inspired Autumn/Winter collection for the British heritage fashion giant.
Burberry is arguably the most highly anticipated show of every London Fashion Week, and this being the 40th anniversary of the iconic biannual week in fashion, the anticipation for Lee’s collection was as high as ever. With a star-studded list of attendees on the front row – such as Anna Wintour, Skepta, Lilly Allen and Barry Keoghan – this was an eagerly awaited show and Lee did not disappoint.
Exactly a year after his debut as newly appointed Chief Creative Officer of Burberry, Daniel Lee closes off the special birthday for London Fashion Week with a retro outerwear-inspired collection. With neutral colours, fur, hair scarves, trench coats, duffle and bomber jackets, there is no doubt that Lee was plucking style from the 50s, 60s and 70s while also combining 21st-century elements such as skin-tight thigh-high boots, chunky platform trainers and zip-front trousers. Lee also remained true to the British heritage brand by incorporating motifs of classic Burberry, such as the beige check-print in the skirts, hair scarves and jackets, the neutral colour scheme and the trench coats.
In the notes for the show, Daniel Lee said, “I wanted this collection to feel warm and protective […] I wanted to take a traditional approach to the fabrics and how each piece was made. Craftsmanship has always been the heart of design.”
The show was held in an enormous circus-like tent situated in London’s Victoria Park, with wood chippings that imitated the look of grass, allowing the neutral-coloured designs to stand out further against the green. The storytelling and vintage inspiration shone through in the music which featured songs and clips from the late British artist Amy Winehouse, adding to the classic nature of not just the collection, but Burberry as a brand.
For the menswear collection, inspiration from classic pinstriped suits that were a fashion staple for workwear in the 1920s radiated in Lee’s design as well as incorporating 21st Century trends with the oversized nature of the fit, pairing the jacket with no shirt and a thicker, slightly platformed boot or chunky trainer, mixing causal with formal which is currently an increasingly popular trend.
The pairing of similar colours in different shades and coords is a strong trend seen on numerous shows during LFW this year as well as being a popular motif in the Burberry show. The androgynous silhouette of the oversized suit is not just necessarily being categorised as ‘menswear’ but for anyone.
The field jackets with the classic Burberry plaid design on the inner lining added to that heritage and traditional inspiration Lee was trying to achieve with this line as well as the main focus on the outerwear. This paired with the light beige fringed knitted dress and tan skin-tight leather boots sticks to the colour scheme of traditional early 20th Century Burberry and fashion as well as adding a modern touch in a vintage-style ensemble.
The pairing of something very classic and vintage such as a pleated, plaid maxi skirt with a brown fur-collared bomber jacket is yet another example of Lee’s incredible formation of looks and the contrast between modern and vintage; something that wouldn’t work on paper but can be made to look gorgeous. The ensemble created a feminine silhouette, the tight jacket and the A-Line skirt creating the shape of a figure reminiscent of the early 20th Century. As well as this, the focus of outerwear is predominated with the bomber jacket, the fur collaring being another trend seen on the Burberry AW24 runway as well as fur in general dominating London Fashion Week this season.
One of the most famous faces in fashion closed the show on 19th February. Naomi Campbell elegantly strutted down the runway not only to finalise the show but also to London Fashion Week itself; no better face to do this on the 40th anniversary than one of the most iconic British models of all time. She modelled a strapless fuzzy knitted maxi dress, embedded with glitter to give an eveningwear look. This was paired with thigh-high skin-tight leather boots and long, sleek hair, adding a formality to the show that was predominately outerwear and ready-to-wear inspired. This textured knitwear has the look and feel to it as a homespun knitted piece would, Lee’s inspiration in craftsmanship and British heritage radiating from this closing look.
Daniel Lee leaves us mesmerized once again with this season’s collection from Burberry, with nostalgia shining through from the traditional, outerwear-driven Burberry mixed with some new modern pieces too. In his notes backstage, Lee also mentioned “Burberry’s heritage of the outdoors continues to inspire me” and this was incredibly visible at the final show of LFW.