The Burberry trench coat has always been an accidental sex symbol. Even when buttoned right up to the neck, it is undeniably sensuous, whether it is the belted silhouette hinting at a feminine figure underneath, or juxtaposing its protective armour-like appearance with the vulnerability of flesh showing underneath. And for this season, creative director Riccardo Tisci explored and extrapolated the game of hide and seek.
Clean-lined vests are worn over skin-tight leggings and bustiers, while bodycon ensembles in black or beige take on a catsuit-like quality. For the trench coats, the illusion of protection is subverted. As models turned a corner, an altogether innocuous calf length and boxy trench revealed itself to be backless, cheekily flashing the butts.
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Of course, Tisci’s Bambi is not far away. This time, it cameos in the form of human skin-toned prosthetic ears, showing from under long hair. This, along with the caps that seem to take on the silhouette of animal ears reiterate the collection name — Animal Instinct.
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The digital presentation film saw models travelling through different fantastical sets, starting from a room that seemed to be flooded in diamond dust dunes among industrial pillars. Following that is a kind of Tutankhamun’s tomb lined in trench coats plastered to the walls. Then, after a dramatic walk through a wind-swept hall, they arrived at an underground warehouse party not unlike the scenes in London’s pre-gentrification Shoreditch. The abrupt changes in disparate worlds from room to room brought to mind the way we consume social media today — swiping up and throwing ourselves into the next story, universe or personality. With each story or – in this case – scenario competing for our 15-second block of attention span, the next offering better be more audacious and surprising than the last.