Burberry Prorsum Autumn/Winter 2014

In part one of our exclusive look at Burberry Prorsum’s AW14 menswear collection, we provided you with unrivalled backstage access to the most anticipated showcase at this year’s London Collections: MEN, as well as an interview with Chief Creative Officer Christopher Bailey.

Here, in part two, we identify and explore the key influences and pieces within the collection…

Burberry Prorsum AW14: The Themes

The AW14 concept of ‘The Painterly Journey’ was executed through a number of key sub-themes in the show, which were the defining features of the collection:

A Love Letter to London Town

London and an innate sense of Britishness dominated as the primary theme; it was an appropriately patriotic stance from a brand whose design identity remains firmly rooted to its origins in the British Isles.

Map prints of the capital, used on silk scarves and shirting, were created in the spirit of vintage street atlases of yesteryear. Prints depicting imagery of celebrated London landmarks – including Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament and Nelson’s column – were applied to lightweight silk neck scarves.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, woven into cashmere knits, further reaffirmed the brand’s connection with the capital:

Autumnal Foliage

The leaves of the Royal Oak tree, symbolising the ancient rural landscapes of England, were a motif used heavily throughout. With their rich orange and brown hues, they were a seamless tribute to the autumn season.

Flowering vine prints, inspired by Edwardian Arts and Crafts wallpaper, were employed extensively on scarves, outerwear and shirting, providing further visual interest:

Call Of The Country

The enduring style of the country and British sartorialism have always gone hand-in-hand; Burberry proved this for AW14, with its woven micro-tweeds and oversized equestrian blankets.