One of the most winning developments of this remote resort season has been the way designers and brands have turned to their own teams to stand in for traditional models. The U.K.’s social distancing rules made a studio or location shoot impossible for Burberry, so the new collection was photographed on the company’s employees, usually right outside their own London front doors. The results are an endorsement of Riccardo Tisci’s “a little something Burberry for everyone” method. Bigger picture: Whether or not the trend reshapes the new faces boards at modeling agencies, the appeal of these photos is a reminder not to go back to business as usual when this crisis is over—that this is a moment to rethink everything and welcome new approaches. Also: the power of community feels particularly relevant now.
The resort collection demonstrates Tisci’s twin talents for sophisticated tailoring and the elevating streetwear touch. Representing the first category is a black wool jacket with a graceful draped detail that bisects the lapels to tie at the bust and its matching high-waisted, straight-leg trousers: sexy and cool in the right combination. In the second category is a classic camel trench with Burberry’s block letter logo stamped in red on the belt. Logos come and go and come back again, and as the world enters a COVID-19 recession there’s reason to think they’ll go once more. Still, that belt looks genuinely new; that’s not an easy trick to pull off. Elsewhere, Tisci elaborated on the oversized check motif and scarf prints that have been central to his work for the label so far. The news is in the delicate pink rose prints that decorate a black button-down, trousers, and a puff-shouldered shirtdress. They’re delicate and understated where the checks and scarf prints are outspoken—not business as usual.
