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.

LFW F/W 2012: Mulberry

I'm just going to put it out there immediately- Mulberry LFW show was a huge disappointment for me. It is impossible for me to recollect a collection that I have disliked since Emma Hill took the helm of Creative Director in 2008, debuting her first collection in S/S 2009. She re-ignited the fires of creativity in the previously lagging British fashion house, injecting a much needed dose of youth and femininity. However, she seems to have forgotten the brand's roots in the latest collection.

Heavily sports- wear orientated this collection seems to represent a step back rather than a step forward. Gone are the red carpet worthy gowns, feminine frocks and timeless shapes. Instead in their place we have masculine cut coats in a degree of horrific knits and furs, unflattering dresses which were vaguely reminiscent of Madonna's conical 80s bra and boots that look like they took their inspiration from Jennifer Lopez's 90s Jenny 'From the Block' Timberland inspired treads. The color scheme was abhorrent and the accessories were a disaster.

Mulberry's iconic bags were subject to a failed attempt at ironic re-invention. Gone were the post man's locks and leather straps and in their place was a lacquered leather bearing the image of the bag's we have come to love. It was vaguely reminiscent of Chanel's, almost seasonal, attempts to create handbags which appeal to the lowest common denominator of clientele- only unlike Chanel the Mulberry bags in question were featured prominently on the catwalk, rather than abashedly being reserved for commercial and non- advertising purposes. 

The knit bags were also vaguely reminiscent of Chanel. Granted I hate the Chanel knitted bags but I find them particularly abhorrent in the case of Mulberry. Mulberry is a timeless British brand known for it's bags which last the test of time- both in style and in substance. That's the great thing about any of their bags. They work hard for you, the look better with age and they withstand the elements. That's what a bag should do in the British context- it needs to be ready and willing to withstand London and all of its resulting factors: the rain, the snow, the dirt, the drunken women carrying it, getting placed on tube seats, getting plopped onto the pavement while it's owner searches for a cigarette etc.

There was also the use of fur which was highly criticized. I have no problem with fur for fashion, what I do have a problem with is when any textile is used in an ugly an unappealing way. The use of fur in the show was ancillary to the theme which ran through it, sportswear. The fur seemed used only to bear reference to the monsters flanking the catwalk. The garments it was used in were unattractive and unpleasant. 

Finally, I have come to love Emma Hill for her use of dogs on the catwalk and particularly her unique interest in incorporating Dog Fashion into her lines. However, even the dog clothes were a disaster. 

All in all I was thoroughly disappointed and won't be looking forward to next winter, in regards to what Mulberry has to offer, in the slightest.

However, feel free to judge for yourselves I have picked what I considered most palatable from the collection below... Now excuse me while I go throw up my total contempt.

Here are the accessories....

And the clothes....

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.