First impressions: Riccardo Tisci for Burberry SS19
First impressions of Ricccardo Tisci for Burberry SS19 aka New Burberry? I thought he was very smart to open on those super grown up, chic, gentlewomanly pieces. Gorgeous honey-coloured trench coats with silky pleat skirts and scarf-style blouses, worn with elegant leather waist bags and stilettos. So not what we expected!
I noted that the younger models struggled on those pin heels (well they have been wearing Nikes for the last five years) but the supermodels (Stella, Natalia, Mariacarla et al) walked with grace and purpose. There was a little bit of Burberry check, but executed in a nuanced, respectful way, rather than the brash check of last season.
It was a loooong show! After the intro of classics (with nods to Phoebe Philo, Helmut Lang and 90s Calvin, I thought), there came a quirkier section of subcult-ish kawaii styling – bubble skirts, Sweet Lolita dresses, chunky Mary Janes and ankle socks – then some formal, slim-cut men’s tailoring.
That ticked quite a diverse array of customer boxes – the heritage customer, the Asian conservative, the Asian young millennial. Just when we thought Tisci has swerved the hypebeast demographic, out came the ‘Burbenciaga’ section of overstated jackets, massive shorts, logo socks and the attitude-y swagger we recognised from Tisci’s Givenchy. Personally, I would have edited the section of prison-chic garms, but I guess overall you could say there was something for everyone. As he said backstage, “why just have one entity when you can propose something for every age, every culture, for different lifestyles?”
Is that a good thing though? Or is a super-precise vision better for a debut? (Answers in the comment below please…)
Unlike Christopher Bailey’s Burberry, there was no see-now-buy-now ‘shop the collection’ frenzy. In recent seasons, our inboxes would be flooded with emails from the dotcoms offering the chance to shop the show immediately. Instead, you can shop a capsule collection called the ‘B Series’ via ‘the Gram’ for 24 hours or in person at Burberry’s revamped flagship at 121 Regent Street.
WORDS: Disneyrollergirl/Navaz Batliwalla
IMAGES: Riccardo Tisci for Burberry SS19 /Vogue Runway/Jamie Stoker for Vogue International
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The New Burberry — Keep it Chic
18 September, 2018 @ 12:52 pm
[…] evergreen pieces with staying power. Navaz Batliwalla, editor of Disneyrollergirl, did a spot-on review of the […]
21 September, 2018 @ 9:41 am
I am totally unconvinced on this move on all parts. Even more so since the original announcement. Agreeably some beautiful, beautiful pieces but regretfully left confused by this entirely. Bring back CB. xxxx
6 February, 2019 @ 3:35 pm
Thanks Holly, yes, maybe trying to please too many people
29 January, 2019 @ 6:39 am
Some lovely stuff….. and a few absolute horrors (particularly in the Mens Collection).
Excellent review – I too feel nervous watching those poor little girls wibble-wobbling their way down the runway.
6 February, 2019 @ 3:35 pm
Thank you! It’s always interesting seeing a first collection. part of me wants to cut some slack but the industry isn’t always so kind!