LFW F/W 2012: Burberry- the clothes.... oh the clothes

Luckily for me, after the disappointment of LFW's Mulberry show there was Burberry. I have already expressed my love and adulation for their accessories but I thought that the clothes themselves deserved a post that was entirely their own. 

The beauty of the show was in it's understated, yet inherent femininity.Gone were the exagerated silhouettes of F/W 2011 and the bright pops of color. In their place was a feminine silhouette defined by deep colors. Purples, blues, browns, gold and greens were the name of the game and they were expressed in textiles which allowed for the colors to best express the textures and tones of the garments. Corduroys, wools, velvet, taffetas and cotten were intersected within the garments. In fact, every garment was characterized by both its mix of color and also texture. Stripes of various widths were used throughout the collection with the only true print being the image of an owl which was placed on the t-shirts.

It was the perfect collection for winter. A perfect exhibition of why Christopher Bailey is so successfully transforming this stalwart of a fashion house and a reminder of what Burberry is now, what it was and what it can be.

Burberry Prorsum: LFW F/W 2012- Accessories

Accessories are generally my least favorite part of any Burberry show. I will admit that honestly I have never met a Burberry purse that you could pay me to carry. LFW's Burberry Prorsum show failed to change that. I have yet to see a Burberry 'tote' that I would willingly tote HOWEVER Christopher Bailey has shown us that what he can do with Burberry's clothing aesthetic he is more than capable of doing with its accessories collection.

Although there wasn't a bag I would carry the collection was awash with sumptuous leather gloves, some woven and others studded; which, when held with the spectacular umbrellas with complimenting studded handles creates the perfect juxstaposition with the rich colors and fabrics. The hardness of the metal, the unforgiving nature of the black shiny leather set off the classical English textiles perfectly. The contrast between the tweeds, corduroys, plaids and stripes, and the hard silver studs was thrilling.

And don't even get me started on the clutches. They were absolutely brilliant, adorned with animal motifs they appeal to every girl and hark back to Burberry's routes- as an outdoors-wear company. They were somewhere reminiscent of Mulberry's F/W 2011 collection with it's fox and owl motifs; however, if Mulberry was Bailey's inspiration he managed to make it all Burberry- translating the images into a new and modern light. Moreover, it was nice to see a common thread of inspiration running through the London collections- especially between two brands which share a somewhat similar aesthetic.

The belts as well took off where F/W 2011 left off. You may remember the corded and bowed belts cinching in the over sized silhouettes of the bright orange and blue hunting jackets. Well they have evolved. This season they are back but now they are thinner and suede cinching in the Burberry equivalent of a Barbour, they are in leather and curdoroy bowed and cinching in the modernized pencil skirt. 

And.... I can't forget the men's accessories. The walking sticks, the flat caps, the man bags- Bailey proves that what he does for women he is more than capable of doing for men and it was cool. Most importantly it was cool, none of it was overly feminine. Just like the men's clothes themselves it felt somewhat that you were stepping into a Guy Ritchie movie. 

Finally there were the umbrellas. Absolutely impossible to ignore this Burberry and English staple- particularly when the heavens opened on the runway. As usual Burberry continues to impress. The handles, the colors- every Londoner will want one this season.

 

My favorite fall fashions

So here are my FAVORITE designers and my favorite styles from their fall shows, in alphabetical order of course because I didn't want to be overly discerning. 

Enjoy, I do... indeed.

 Check it out! Alexander McQueen I have to say I lurved the whole show, Sara Burton= genius. This look in particular though amazing. Ruffles, sparkle I mean all she had to do was throw in my little pony and the eight year old version of myself would have been ALL over this. But seriously, yum.

 Christopher Bailey, oh why do I adore you so. SUCH a genius. Single handedly made me love Burberry Prorsum all over again. This coat. Well fingers crossed I will be rocking this, this fall (if I can stop blowing all my cash on dresses and shoes, why oh why are they soooo irresistible?! The whole show was amazing though. Such great outerwear. All so beautiful and practical. There are a lot of shows that I look at and I can't imagine how I would translate the major pieces into my everyday life but this show was NOT one of those. Which is nice. It's nice that a designer remembers that he's designing for women not A woman or A mannequin but women. 

So I love the Chloe girl. I want to be her. I covet her wardrobe, her poise, her essence and this fall Hannah MacGibbon did not disappoint. The Chloe girl, or woman, is still someone to aspire to. I just love the delicacy of the dress in contrast to the knitted outerwear but at the same time complimented by the purity of the white and the femininity of the design. I think this look perfectly encapsulated the essentially female characteristic of the Chloe girl. 

 Alright soooo as unsavory as John Galliano might be at the moment. Lets not mince words. The man is about as viable to society as bread pudding and laxatives to a celiac sufferer BUT moving past his love of plastic surgery (I won't lie on that point I don't really fault him), his extreme personal dress sense (got to say I don't love the hair- won't lie) and the racism (there is a time and a place for insulting French people but NEVER Jews and NEVER Hitler) he is sadly one of the most talented designers the world (in my humble opinion) has ever seen and I just love these pieces, all of them. The knit, the hues, the complimentary colors, the dashes of color- THE SHOES (Dior makes my all time FAVORITE heels, so comfy), It's perfection. Sadly, I just can't envision Dior without him. 

 Oh Diane. You little royal genius you. Stunning. Red appears to be THE color for fall (although don't shed a tear, my beloved purple is still going strong as is that gorgeous cobalt blue that we have been seeing; however, red is definitely the color this season). I adore this coat. Makes me feel better for not purchasing her gorg spring coats this summer. I also love how she mixes up the reds, genius from Diane von Furstenburg- as always.

 I feel like I need to somehow moan here (please envision a throaty moan of even just the beginning of Meg Ryan's diner scene from when Harry Met Sally) because Peter Dundas is just sex on legs and resultantly the creations he spawns simple ooze sex from every thread. The clothes are so 70s but yet so current and so sensual. I have to say even the man himself is a hottie, I won't lie. It's hard to tell what I covet more- him, his clothes OR both equally. Emillio Pucci is back people and with a vengeance. 

 So the Scarlett Lady strikes again. This time Daniella Hilleyal of Issa is the culprit. I adore this jacket. I adore the hat and the choice of tights is fabulously different. All it's missing is a tanned Kate Middleton to wear it to the races or another event. Truly a piece fit for a princess.

 Jill Stuart showing us that it doesn't matter what the season- she is a true genius of proportion. I love the contrast of the colors and cuts of the two pieces and the boots, somehow they go. I don't understand why, but I like it. Another interesting take on the trend of red and how to accessorize it. A good lesson beyond being a deliciously fresh look. 

 So my favorite dynamic duo, Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa, are at it again. Bringing us another ethereally beautiful gown. Yummers!

 Alright so if you didn't already know... I am a HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of Mulberry. Not to make myself impartial but I have to say that if I got to pick one collection that I could have every season or any season it would be Mulberry. Without looking, without researching- that would be my answer. Because it doesn't matter what she's doing Emma Hill does it right. The line is well tailored, young (but not overly young) and dreadfully dreadfully cool. Plus EVERYTHING is on point. The outerwear if superb, the suiting, knitwear and evening wear is to die for, the accessories are renowned and the dog wear is my favorite. I love how since introducing dog wear to the brand (through making it a standard part of the line) they have not only incorporated dogs on the catwalk (adorable!) but they've taken the opportunity to show how you can dress down any look. For an example how we are all cool enough to rock an evening dress to walk the dog. 

 Bringing some Eastern zest to this collection we've got Naeem Khan showing us just how well he does evening wear (answer: very well).  

 I love Oscar de la Renta and I love this combination, including the shoes. Fabulous. So lady like- as always. I love the incorporation of fur. 

 As usual Preen's  knitwear rocks my socks off (a little knit wear pun- love it). So gorgeous, so gorgeous. 

 Alright so I always follow Alice Temperley's shows because although I don't love her stuff at the moment (I won't deny it, I would be hard pressed to pick out more than one item from any of her shows... even as gifts) I see a lot of potential in her and I see Temperley London as having the capability of becoming a fabulous brand... if she stops being so kitschy and gimmicky with her pieces. This though, this piece I love. I think this shows the potential of what could come.

 And again here we go. Red is the color of the season. Amy Smilovic has done a fabulous job in building this brand. Tibi's clothes are vibrant, wearable, fresh and (importantly!) affordable. 

I love the flowing femininity of the dresses of this season. They evoke an ethereal seventies vibe that it both vintage and modern. Valentino proves that they still make beautiful women's clothing. Cut well and feminine although with a new modern edge.