With fewer than six months under his belt at the creative helm of Burberry, Daniel Lee’s first collection for the UK’s most powerful luxury fashion house was a triumph of ravishing, bright, rich colours and a mind-expanding re-imagining of the Burberry brand. It was a beautiful renaissance for a great British icon.
Lee’s inaugural Burberry offering for Autumn/Winter 2023 has been the most hotly anticipated of London Fashion Week, and it not only delivered, it exceeded, even confounded , expectation. There hadn't been too many advance clues as to what he might show, only that it would be very British – a broad promise if ever there was one.
Waiting for the show to start, fashion pundits in the crowd put forward their own theories about what Lee might show us. Some claimed it was time to “reclaim the check”, others were looking for Christopher Bailey’s refinement crossed with Tisci’s goth-punk glamour. But as soon as the lights went down and the looks emerged, it was clearly neither. In fact, it was entirely and beautifully original with a luxurious, sensual modernity and a strong-yet-cliché-free British soul.
Here are four things I learned from Daniel Lee’s first show...
Next season’s must-have accessory is a hot water bottle
Much has been written about Lee’s magic touch when it comes to accessories from his time at Bottega Veneta. Here, in his first Burberry collection, there were so many pieces of covetable handgear, headgear and footwear – not least several super-size faux fur trapper hats – that they’re sure to be a commercial and creative hit. I particularly loved that the models walked around clutching hot water bottles with woollen covers matched to the jewel-brights of their clothes.
Introducing the new House signatures...
We saw a hint of the new ultra-marine colour a few weeks ago on Instagram when the reveal of ‘new Burberry’ began. On last night’s runway it came into its own, not least on the blanket coats and as a super-sized equestrian knight (a re-born Burberry signature) print on a stunning white dress.
...and the new House codes
Alongside the return of the equestrian knight, the presence of rose iconography throughout simultaneously signalled ‘English’ as well as being a nod to Burberry’s Yorkshire home and Lee’s own Bradford roots. Used in elegant prints, it was the rose's deployment on a cool, Nineties-style statement T-shirt emblazoned with the slogan ‘Roses aren’t always Red’ above a blue rose, was especially enjoyable.
Lee's choice not to show traditional trench coats bodes well
The taupe gabardine heritage trench is the ultimate Burberry icon. A sign of how sure-footed and at home Daniel Lee feels at Burberry was that there were none in his show at all. This was incredibly refreshing. Chanel is best known for its 2.55 bag, but this rarely makes a runway appearance because a show should be all about the new and the now – not the classics we all know already.
> See all the photos of the Burberry AW23 collection on the catwalk below
