While we can’t imagine any starving artist that could actually afford Burberry, the brand's Prorsum Fall/Winter 2014 men’s collection channeled painters nonetheless, drawing from not only their work, but also their style. Titled A Painterly Journey, the show was held in London’s Kensington Gardens providing a light and soft backdrop for the collection’s casual structure.
Played in by live musician Sivu, guests to the fashion show sat on the East Albert lawn in the custom built space and included celebrities such as British actors Jamie Campbell Bower (the face of Burberry’s Spring 2014 line) and Callum Turner, Chinese actor Chen Kun and Korean actor Yu Ah In; British musicians Tinie Tempah, Paloma Faith, James Righton, Jack Bevan and George Barnett, as well as British model Suki Waterhouse.
The collection itself is a rich texture of fabrics, colors and silhouettes, paralleling the diverse artistry of Lucian Freud, Ben Nicholson, Christopher Wood and Duncan Grant—four British painters that inspired designer Christopher Bailey’s fall line. Colorful scarves, hand-painted leathers and light layers make each style a reflection of nonchalant elegance—it's like they don’t even care they look this good.
With multiple layers, the pieces would seem to weigh heavily on each model, but surprisingly the relaxed structure and lack of form allowed for each style to lie softly and effortlessly upon one another. And despite the dark colors of black, brown and navy it still seems light, warm enough for autumn chills, but not as restrictive or uniform as most winter wear can be.
The one and only thing we can find wrong with this collection (if there had to be one), would be the new St Ives bag—or rather—oversized murse. They are gorgeous and come in tapestry decorated fabrics or hand-painted leathers, but as much as we want to grab one for ourselves, we can’t image any guys we know carrying around a bag that big. Briefcase? Yes. Solid tote? Possibly. Colorful, rich, fabric bags the size of their arm? Not likely. But it’s okay because even without the bag this collection is closet perfection.
