Are coats the new bags? Burberry’s Daniel Lee sent out a symphony of terrific outerwear that had you wishing for cold weather, rain and the pleasure of a long walk. The show was held in a vast tent in East London’s Victoria Park. From the outside it looked like a supersized medieval jousting arena, inside it was carpeted with a moss-and-mulch catwalk, setting the tone for a show that leaned hard into outdoorsy elegance. There were trench coats galore in buttery leather and classic waxed cotton worn with matching trousers, archival check and Donegal tweed. Adorned with an array of practical flaps and fastenings, they came with a sense of rugged purpose. This is the sweet spot that Daniel Lee is steering Burberry into with pieces that thrill with real-life appeal – built to last with lifelong wearability.

After the show, the designer spoke of doubling down on Burberry’s British identity. The brand’s most prized possession, it’s also the thing that gives it a standout in the crowded luxury market, argues Lee. He expressed it on the catwalk with stylish, ruggedly practical clothes and accessories, from elongated biker jackets and enveloping padded parkas to cosy duffles, maxi kilts, shaggy knits and tweed suiting. Even the gowns were inspired by the texture of moss.

“I wanted this collection to feel warm and protective,” he said. “There’s a sense of craft in this collection. We began in the Burberry archive and the mills of Lochcarron and Donegal. I wanted to take a traditional approach to the fabrics and how each piece is made. Craftsmanship has always been at the heart of design.”

It’s not just the clothes that effectively communicate Burberry’s 21st-century identity, but the people the house curates. The clothes were modelled by a superlative cast of British beauties. Noughties Brit-girl icon Agyness Deyn opened the show, followed by Karen Elson, Edie Campbell, Lily Donaldson and Naomi Campbell. The last model out, in a belted leather trench coat and maxi kilt, was Phoebe Philo’s daughter Maya Wigram (Philo was Lee’s boss at Celine). Amy Winehouse provided the soundtrack, in music and in words, with the singer talking about her uncompromising approach to creativity and identity. Meanwhile, the audience teamed with national treasures, (Olivia Coleman, Joanna Lumley), national treasures in waiting (Skepta, Little Simz) and honorary Brits (Tottenham captain, Son Heung-min). Later, they crowded around the wedding-style buffet at the afterparty – it was a very British do.

burberry.com