The Judges Awards

09.1 Burberry Prorsum
by Christopher Bailey, A/W 09

For the better part of his eight-year career as creative director of Burberry, Christopher Bailey has made a point to stay clear of the house's stalwart check - at least when it came to the brand's runway line, Prorsum. Sure, he had enlarged and chopped it into an abstract pattern, but he never just showed it – until this autumn. Bailey didn't surrender to the house's history, but rather embraced it. As he said backstage, 'it felt like it was the right moment to go back to who we are, and to the real icons of the company’. The results were nothing short of sensational. Bailey used Burberry's signature check on slouchy cashmere snoods and on woven shirts. Black, while the predominant colour, was offset with rich greys and tans in the form of sturdy outdoorwear, including a terrific doublefaced pea coat accented with brick red on the oversized lapels. The entire collection, from baggy pinstriped trousers to washed bottle-green velvet suits to chunky knits, had backbone. There was not only a rugged ease to the clothes, but an indisputable appeal. It was as if Bailey was saying the best way to stay chic is to toughen up.

Creative director: Christopher Bailey
Joined brand: 2001
Based: London
Key features: The widespread use of Burberry’s check; black, greys and tans; a double-faced pea coat with oversized lapels; chunky knits; velvet suits; snoods

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