Of all the shows happening during the AW23 womenswear season – which FYI we are now half way through – Burberry is the one with most buzz surrounding it. With new creative director Daniel Lee at the helm, people are curious to see where the Bradford-born former Bottega boy wonder is going to take the quintessentially British brand. After debuting a new logo – which tapped into OG ‘Prorsum’ graphics last seen when Christopher Bailey was still around – he’s also put forward a cohort of big names as part of his first campaign, with Shygirl, Skepta, and John Glacier among them. But tonight is the main event, as Lee brings an actually very vibey London Fashion Week to its crashing climax. Here’s everything you need to know.

LEE DRAGGED EVERYONE SOUTH OF THE RIVER

The designer picked a little enclave in Kennington as the site of his first-ever show, erecting a huge old-school tent in a local park and filling it with brown Burberry check cushions and cosy blankets. Since it’s February and London's weather isn’t known to be all that at the best of times, matching hot water bottles were also perched on attendees' seats. As per usual, fashion people showed zero decorum post-show, swiping the items from under their friends’ bums as a memento of the occasion. 

BURIAL SOUNDTRACKED THE WHOLE THING

…which made sense, since the show took place in the borough of Lambeth, where the elusive producer has looked for inspiration since dropping his South London Boroughs EP in 2005. Spanning early tracks like “Distant Lights”, “Ghost Hardware”, and “Street Halo”, the soundtrack to countless late night bus trips home came to the London catwalk, it's hazy, disjointed beats and obscure, looping samples filling the space.

THE BEST OF BRITAIN WAS THERE

Lee invited some of his biggest Bottega Veneta pals, among them Skepta, Stormzy, Vegyn, and Benji B, alongside new and old Burberry faces including Vanessa Redgrave and legendary model and girl about town Liberty Ross. Naomi was obviously there too, sitting not too far from Grace Wales Bonner – herself a rumoured name to take the top spot at the house at one point – while Martine Rose, Baz Luhrmann, Bianca Jagger, Future, Honey Dijon, Oliver Sim, Son Heung-min, and Obongjayar rubbed shoulders with Jamie xx and Britpop icon, Blur's Damon Albarn on the front row.

THE COLLECTION PAID HOMAGE TO THE ENGLISH ROSE

Not too far into the AW23 show, Lee’s vision began to crystalise – it was an interrogation of British heritage, questioning what those values might mean for people today. “Change is inevitable,” as the sleeve of one t-shirt read. Supple jersey columns were ruched into a rosebud, while long-line chore jackets were stamped with rose motifs, and t-shirts were emblazoned with the phrase “a rose is not always a rose” – all of which felt like an obvious reference to the English Rose. There were back-to-front trench coats, scarf dresses in asymmetrically-draped swags, and wide-panelled tartan on just about everything (some Burberry blue, others yellow and heritage red) – none of which would look out of place on Kate Moss at Glastonbury circa 2010. 

…AND AT TIMES, IT FELT LIKE IT NODDED TO WESTWOOD

…with Lee dropping bolshy checked trousers slashed through with punky zippers into the mix for AW23. The show comes just a couple of days after the fashion industry gathered to remember the pioneering British designer at Southwark Cathedral, so a subtle tribute would make a lot of sense.

THE ACCESSORIES WERE MORE BIZARRE THAN BOTTEGA

At times the collection dipped into countryside twee, as Lee turned out his take on the kind of homespun knitted duck hats your granny would kit you out in, as well as faux fur tails which swung from pockets and the handles of handbags – a reference to the posh, Burberry-wearing upper classes who love a bit of fox-hunting when leaving the city behind for their country pile. Alongside these quirky accoutrements came a couple of looks which incorporated a blaze of orange, red, and yellow feathers, including a massive standout coat, while jumbo-sized messenger bags – sure to fly off of shop shelves when they eventually land – were designed to be over-stuffed and plonked on the pavement with an air of insouciance. These more bizzaro accents make sense. After all, Lee was the designer credited with turning Bottega Veneta from a dusty heritage brand into the luxury behemoth beloved by fashion critics and Fashion Nova. As for his Burberry? Change is inevitable, and if this is where we're heading in his hands, the future looks bright indeed.