Daily Front Row

2011 September 20

Spring 2012: Burberry Prorsum, Christopher Kane

Burberry Spring 2012
FirstView View Gallery

(LONDON) Burberry Prorsum
Christopher Bailey got crafty for Spring, and the cheery, resulting confections are worth coveting. Why? Let us count the ways: muted stripes tinged with textured basket-woven paneling, chic rounded raffia caps topped with  cheery, unexpected pom poms, and plenty of pleated below-the-knee skirts in berry and forest green hues. Bailey's hand-hewn arty touches are amply fit for the catwalk, thanks to the collars and off-the-shoulder necklines dripping in bright geometric embellishments. Even the peppy platforms got treated with colorful beads, rendering the ankles to look like wrists ringed in a handful of bangles. As always, Bailey made the runway rain with well-executed trenches and petite ponchos as per the brand's mac-filled heritage, flecked with studded cinchers and elaborate, peppy lapel detailing for stylishly combatting Spring's downpours.

Christopher Kane
Farewell, high-tech swirls of colorful gel swimming in undulating panels of PVC! This time around, Kane crafted a luminous, slightly otherworldly take on the classic school girl’s uniform with softly glowing metallic shifts and skirts, rife with exquisitely cut flaps and layers. A riff on a crisp white pinafore, featuring a wide placket, topped a couple of the peculiarly, innovatively pleated skirts, while heavy white sweater vests edged in navy or mint detailing took a generally unsavory article of attire and made it quite compelling. Florals also took the form of short-shorts strewn in daisies, tops with kaleidoscope-esque splays of teensy flowers, and large, sparsely-placed plumes of roses in B&W. Slip-on flats, curiously resembling spa footwear, allowed the models to glide quite effortlessly down the catwalk, although the precisely-cut origami nips and tucks and sophisticated, subtle prettiness might deserve a bit more heavenly elevation to their strut when worn in reality.