Burberry, Beckham & Peafowl Appliqué

The Illustrious Trench Coat.

But if only to possess just one piece from it's magnificence. With it's signature flaunt and flounce apparel, Burberry's mighty bienséance didn't fail to impress for A/W13. Ever famous for it's glorious trench coats, Burberry Prorsum's Autumn/Winter 2013 collection was a mélange of chivalrous rubber-finishing, laminated leather, libidinous Caban's and further ditched Burberry Check (to the relief of many). The divine expo plays homage to the scandalous Christine Keeler and her life of prostitution, crisis with Russian spies and the infamous 'Profumo Affairs'. Titled 'Trench Kisses', the selection is a praise for the English glamour girl who nearly brought about the pernicious end of the contemporary British government. In spite of this being the season of the moment, it's still the magic of S/S13 that's on everyone's minds and on everyone's tongues. S/S13 was an array of buoyant designs and chromatic textures. Most noted for it's display of catwalk models invading the runway with lustrous coats (in some sort of spectrum order), the show exhibited the season's best.

Á la mode model Edie Campbell was chosen to sport the sublime piece from the season. The grandiloquent but highly favoured £22,000 trench coat made entirely from peacock feathers. Avant-garde, the trench coat has triggered dropped jaws and lugubrious sighs from those realising they will never get to see or touch the masterpiece. Though the hit sensation of the season stands at £22,000, people seem willing to spend millions for five minutes alone with the pretty peacock piece. But of course, with outrageous fashion comes pandemonium. Complaints have risen over the morality of stripping peacocks of their pride in India through the use of poaching in peacock farms. Obnoxiously, animal rights activists and organisations have called the dressing 'Barbaric' as the animals are murdered for their feathers rather than the alternate - waiting for the bird to die or for the feathers to naturally fall off. As well as this, it is notably illegal to export peacock feathers in India and peacocks are currently being slaughtered in their thousands for the sake of fashion gold. Is the price for rare fashion garments too immoral? There seems to be a general nonchalance. Anna Wintour was spotted enrobed in the finery at the 9th Annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund gala, and the coat is broadly labelled as one of the most desirable pieces of the moment. So should the insouciance towards animal welfare be branded as unacceptable or should fashion continue to ignore the stereotypical 'fur is murder' philistine protests from 'pests'?

The Burberry Spring/Summer 2013 Finale.

Overall, Burberry's campaign proved to be auspicious. Edie Campbell, currently taking over from Cara Delevingne's reign as tabloid obsession and laureating April's cover for British Vogue - is the current fresh face for Burberry and her popularity grows by the minute. With such natural poise the budding equestrienne is a hit with the model métier and a glimpse of the felicity of fashion heights. However her grace is frustratingly spoiled by the presence of the son of David and Victoria, Romeo Beckham. A cute 'cheeky chappy' charm was attempted, an awkwardly annoying embarrassment was achieved. Exhibiting a selection of childrenswear, Romeo Beckham's ubienty is unnecessary and slightly vexatious. Making a mockery of the austere faced models and alluding to viral photo-bombing hysteria; I can only imagine comments backstage such as 'who's child is this?' coming from a perplexed number of staff. The attempt to incorporate a callow youngster into the shoot was noble but honestly didn't work. Regardless, Burberry S/S13 was a smashing success and the recent A/W13 only shows that there's no stopping the British 'powerhouse' which is just 43 years shy from it's 200th anniversary. Burberry Prorsum.■

Out With Outré

The Modern Kati Nescher

The fundamentals of fashion. And the phenomenon copied and embraced by designers and the common glitterati alike. Though the monomania has caused screams of style revolution it's still oh so quiet. The absence of extravagance and grandure, the tranquility, deviated by the in vogue hysteria of the celebrated practise of sheer art. Minimalism. The gentle approach. As I like to call it, 'form over fancy'. The dexterity of creating a striking pièce de rèsistance with a short palette of colour & the concentration of folds, creases and constructions? Basic, brilliant, bringing boldness and cleaning up the sticky glitter stream of pop culture inspired flamboyant designs and prints. The challenge is set, to attract attention using only a classic tricolor, give or take, few layers, using simple, classic pieces. Not a challenge? Well what's harder?; attracting attention in a pop art print Katie Eary number, or a basic white shirt and jeans? The contemporary change in scene is that now the outrageous is met by nonchalance and boredom , while a classic shift dress, crowned with a satin kimono is au courant. 

Last year saw the rise of pastels in the summer, neutral shades in autumn, with their gorgeous transition taking place in spring. White-washed fabrics, low hemlines and tea-length dresses. Bankini galore covered by monotonous satin and chelsea collar necks. Incorporating form and complimentary shape proved popular. As these monotonous and simple designs became more abundant, this prompted designers to focus on fitting. The male and female form tend to be embraced by this blazing trend. And here comes monochrome. Silhouettes of black and white, ebony and ivory in perfect harmony. A far cry from the shocking array of ornate and flamboyant garments. With precision in tailoring and stitching to the exact measurements there's absolutely no room for error in this trend. It either works or it simply doesn't. Over this current S/S13 season minimalism has proven the belle of the bracket. 

Examples of minimalism in fashion (SS13), simple yet divine.

The naked obscurity of the mania allows beauty to speak for itself, applauding the human form, giving fashion the breath of life and a modern touch. The fashion world finally feels alive. Clothing all the more human and all the less quixotic is a significant move. Once it was seen as a bold act to don cluttered concoctions and scary prints, things that had never been done before. Boring. The constant need to stand out and be vintage seems childish in the world of high-fashion. Increasingly passè. Though the genius of Alexander McQueen's fanciful creations and the peculiar styles of pop sensation Lady Gaga have been celebrated, in modern everyday wear and on the catwalk - the general preference is clear. There is no longer the need to insist on the bizarre in a bid to stand out, this is accomplished now through the simple. The plain pea coat and black dress among 3-D floral skirts and embellished fabrics is the one that stands out. For it's pureness and genuine grace, the style of minimalism is one to be marvelled at. Not limited to those who are shy with creativity, not limited to those who are above and beyond queer. We love it.■