Daily Front Row

2009 March 17

Burberry Gossip

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Christopher Bailey and Mary Kate Olsen in Burberry at Barney's
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(NEW YORK) “First thing that I do in New York is run straight to the Apple store,” laughed guest of honor Christopher Bailey at Barneys last night. “Run” was a key word for the celebrated Burberry creative director--he was in town for only four hours before catching a plane back to London. But the main characters at the cocktail to fête the arrival of Burberry Prorsum's Spring menswear collection were all a bit busy last night too. Host Ed Westwick was shooting scenes for Gossip Girl a few blocks away for most of the day and had to pop into the event in between kissing scenes with Leighton Meester. “I watched a bit of the show back home,” said Bailey. “And Ed is really a nice guy and impressive actor, even if he’s a bit naughty as Chuck.”

Guests like Mary-Kate Olsen, Leigh Lezark, Max Minghella, Zanna Roberts, Poppy Delevigne, Ingrid Sischy and Sandy Brant, Claire Bernard and Dani Stahl all came by to greet Bailey and listen to DJ Nate Lowman’s musical masterminds. “My necklace sounds like a flock of reindeers,” pointed out Stahl as she jiggled her Burberry accessory to the music. Bailey, meanwhile happily discussed gardening as one of the inspirations for his Spring line. “I have a house in Yorkshire where I garden,” the Brit said with a smile. “I'm going there in a few weekends and I honesty love soil and digging. I love gardening when it involves expansion of energy.”

Jamie Burke meanwhile discussed his own agricultural potential. “I used to live on a farm when I was a little kid, so I grew things here and there,” said the musician who’s heading to South by Southwest with his new band this week. “But Chris is really one of the essential  English designers but we Brits don't all know each other. So I came by to finally meet him.” Simon Doonan, meanwhile professed his love for Bailey too, not for his birthplace. “I left England so long ago so I don't fetishize my homeland as much,” he said. "Though Chris has done it brilliantly, of course. But I've been on this side of the pond for 40 years!”
VALENTINE UHOVSKI