In Yorkshire, one thing you can count on is rain.
Daniel Lee grew up not far from the Burberry factory in Castleford, where its signature trenchcoats are made. For his resort collection, he celebrated the brand’s expertise in outerwear with coats and jackets designed to withstand the temperamental British weather.
“It’s nice to kind of take the iconic idea of a trenchcoat and almost use it as a blank canvas for texture, for treatment,” Lee said as he walked through the looks at Burberry’s showroom in Paris.
He rendered the house’s classic check in landscape tones of green or brown on a grainy linen blend fabric, which was used for crisp his-and-hers coats, cargo pants and belted shirtdresses with trench-inspired collars.
“It feminizes something that ultimately feels quite masculine,” the designer remarked.
Daisy flowers were laser cut into coats and flared pants made of suede with a water-repellent coating — ideal for glamping at Glastonbury — while for northern climes, there were furry coats and bomber jackets made of shearling patchworked into a diagonal check motif.
A variety of treatments were used to waterproof workwear classics, including aviator jackets with the Burberry name woven into the waistband. Among Lee’s favorites was a cotton coat bonded with layers of technical fabric, and garment-dyed to give it a lived-in feel.
“These are clothes you can pack into a case, into a bag, chuck on the floor, and they don’t feel too precious. For me, that’s really the Burberry spirit,” he said.
The garment-dyeing technique was applied to everything from cashmere sweaters to waxed jackets, channeling the inverted snobbery of a British country squire’s well-worn duds.
Meanwhile, Savile Row regulars will appreciate the classic tailoring in traditional menswear fabrics, or peacoats in a patchwork of tweed and herringbone wool.
If the collection lacked the pizzazz of his runway efforts, Lee made sure to sprinkle in a few more directional pieces, like shearling jackets that sprouted tubular tendrils at the neck and sleeves. Like his updated versions of the pussy-bow blouse, they offered a playful take on the twirled ribbons of gift wrap.
But with rain still pelting the French capital heading into the summer, this lineup made a compelling case to make like those sensible Brits and put on an extra layer.