Riccardo Tisci ushers in a new era at Burberry

Held at the South London Mail Centre the show started with somewhat of a metaphor as the roof opened to allow sunlight to pour into the venue – a new day. And what followed did indeed signal newness with Tisci pressing restart on the brand, stripping Burberry back to its core in order to build it back up in his impression. Showing some 120 looks to the fashion industry (with interestingly not a single distracting celebrity on the front row) the show, titled Kingdom, celebrated all that is quintessentially Burberry; classic British minimalism, suiting, elegance and of course the trench coat and iconic check. The collection was Tisci’s own love letter to the British isles with nods to different elements of British style, from garden party chic to crisp men’s tailoring to even a little bit of punk. Accessories also accentuated Britishness, from elaborate leather umbrella holders (a nod perhaps to our obsession with discussing the weather) to purses worn on necklaces that resembled the British passport. And the overtly poppy sportswear elements that have dominated Burberry shows of the last few seasons? This time mostly shunned in favour of classicism and a colour palette was largely clean and neutral. For SS19 it’s back to basics.

Look closer though, and there were elements of Tisci’s glamour at play. A skin tight black legging and ribbed jumper set was fringed with gold chains while a bum grazing tight corset was overzealously padded around the hips and bust and decorated with hearts. Kendall Jenner, making her catwalk comeback, wore one of the many macs, this one pierced with gold rings around the stitching. Elsewhere animal print, somewhat of a Tisci staple, made an appearance in the form of leopard print and Dalmatian on blouses and midi skirts and a cowhide and leather croc mac. After months of speculation and plenty of head scratching about what Riccardo Tisci’s Burberry might look like we got our answer, a collection that seamlessly married the old with the new.