Much has been said over the Factory-esque metallic pieces in Burberry Prorsum’s spring/summer men’s 2013 collection. There are the glam lovers, the glitter haters, and rapper Tinie Tempah, who sported one of the lineup’s shimmering bombers at London 2012’s closing ceremonies (to droves of Twitterfare, no less).
While the conservatism of British dressing codes the label’s DNA, creative director Christopher Bailey consistently injects a playful and editorial-friendly slant into his Burberry Prorsum runways. Here, he also hits his digital stride; the designer is one of the industry’s most innovative when it comes to the Internet.
Now widely mimicked, Bailey pioneered the platform for off-the-catwalk, online ordering. He was also a forerunner in live-streaming the otherwise exclusive fashion show, glitch-free and wide-screened out of Hyde Park. Thus, spring/summer 2013’s Technicolor current aptly reflects Bailey’s embrace of our brave new digital world, envisioned herein with a classical sensibility. As the Brits say, it’s brills.
Think Anselm Reyle-esque crinkled and colored foils applied on house-favorite trench coats, drain-pipe lamé pants in Disney princess pink, and jackets aplenty in matted satin. The palette spanned from jewel-tone to disco-ball, its fabrics and constructs working in fluid tandem with the collection’s other standouts: an earth-toned geometric print on shirting and outerwear, and proportion-shifted military parkas. The glam factor won’t be everyone’s cup of Earl Grey (a coworker narrowed her eyes, tilted her head, and muttered “Zoolander?”), but for Bailey cultists and fashion daredevils alike, expect to see the streets-runneth-kaleidoscopic come December’s deliveries.