Burberry, the iconic British fashion label, has come a long, long way.It began over a century ago as a label for aristocrats and explorers, and produced the very first trench coat for officers in World War I.
Ernest Shackleton wore Burberry in 1914 when he attempted to cross Antarctica, and the distinctive Burberry check is now nearly 100 years old.
Then Christopher Bailey came on board to revitalise the brand, and Burberry morphed drastically, catapulting the career of model Agyness Deyn in their cult ad campaigns and starting the trend of studs on leather.
That venerable Burberry trench has become the go-to chic coat for every celebrity worth their salt.
It’s been called the ultimate fashion accessory: everybody from Emma Watson to Duchess Katherine of Cambridge (or Kate Middleton, in her former life) owns one, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the new Transformers star, has said it’s the most indispensable part of her whole wardrobe.
As fashion turnarounds go, it’s the stuff of legend.
Burberry has since entered the fragrance arena with a bang, and has ads in every major fashion magazine on the planet.
Now Bailey is branching out again – into beauty.
Why? When he looked at the Burberry girl, Bailey said, “it was the only element missing.”
This isn’t your typical beauty campaign, or indeed your typical beauty range.
Burberry cosmetics are designed to be much the same as Burberry clothes – classic basics with a modern, fresh twist, not passing garish trends.
These are barely-there beauty products to buy for your everyday life.
The colour palette is what Bailey calls “natural, light, timeless and iconic” – no neons here. Burberry has produced a warm range which focusses on the basics – powders, foundations, mascaras – but imbues them with a very Burberry simplicity and quality.
The inspirations include the gentle English weather, the natural tones of the English countryside, and the freshness of the perceived Burberry girl.
Who is she? A young London girl who flies from party to lunch date to work with breathless, healthy effortlessness, hair chicly disarrayed, mixing masculine and feminine tailoring with ease. And she wears the bare minimum of make-up, thrown on – with her classic trench – as she heads out the door.
The end result? Like a Burberry trench, Bailey says, it’s meant to be the last layer you put on before leaving.
Rescu. Loves:
Foundation – a smooth, light cream perfect for the Australian climate, with UV filters and vitamin E for skin protection, the Burberry foundation is the essence of natural finish.
Powder – with wild rose extract to moisturise your skin, and new lightweight silicon coatings around the polymers to give a flawless finish, this is the ultimate product for removing unwanted shine.
Lipstick – the Burberry lipstick range, with its signature Burberry red, is moisturising, long-lasting and contains UV filtration, and is also super-light to wear, reflecting natural lip tones. It seems they’ve thought of everything.
