AS A taste of what’s to come for Burberry, the 2019 Cruise Collection gave little away. Quite literally – the series of images from the collection showed eight embracing couples with their faces turned away from camera, their expressions concealed beneath each other’s cheeks and cloaked by manes of hair. Heralded as a signal of the label’s new aesthetic direction under Riccardo Tisci, who replaced Christopher Bailey as Burberry’s Chief Creative Officer earlier this year, this was an elusive preview.
Tisci curated and styled a series of pieces from the Burberry archives, including the House’s iconic trench, quilted jacket and signature check-print. There were a few nods to streetwear styling in the rolled-up hems, subtle racer-stripe trousers and occasional glimpse of a white trainer on show. In the main however, the collection steadfastly lived up to its title of B Classic, with a sense of traditional and understated elegance prevailing across all the pieces.
Androgynous styling saw the couples dressed in coordinating outfits, which demonstrated a restrained and minimalist approach in their simple silhouettes and cool neutrality. Yet there were also touches of the ultra-feminine, with female models sporting demure kitten heels and sleek stilettos.
The tension between classic sophistication and urban androgyny in this collection gives an intriguing taste of what may be next for Burberry. Nevertheless, this was overall a restrained debut, which concealed as much as it disclosed about the label’s new direction.
by Rachel Parker
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