In this weekly feature, InStyle’s Fashion News Director Eric Wilson shares his favorite fashion moment of the week, and explains how it could shape styles to come. Look for it on What’s Right Now every Friday.
The Moment: Burberry is a brand that just won’t be satisfied unless it’s doing five things at once.
Case in point, this week’s rollout of a multilayered initiative to conquer Los Angeles, where chief executive and chief creative officer Christopher Bailey was being honored with the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award in Beverly Hills. Bailey took this opportunity to also unveil a new Beverly Hills flagship, a four-marvel that was a major fashion moment itself.RELATED: Romeo Beckham Couldn’t Be Any Cuter in Burberry’s New Holiday Campaign
Burberry’s focus in recent years has been to unite great product designs with exceptional retail experiences, best exemplified by the company’s Regent Street store in London that opened in 2012, where customers are greeted by a two-story video display of its runway show, so high-def that it makes you fear you are about to be stomped on by a giant model. The new Beverly Hills store, on Rodeo Drive, boasts 10 video screens, 130 speakers, and a private-shopping penthouse with solar panels and a garden to help reduce its energy usage.
Bailey described the store as a “unique concept specifically for L.A.,” because it’s a city that promotes creativity and innovation.
Why It’s a Wow: While the store looks fab, Bailey also used the opportunity to revisit Burberry’s popular online feature, the Art of the Trench, inviting prominent Los Angelinos to pose in its trench coats in iconic Los Angeles locations.
Ashley Madekwe (pictured, above), Cat Deeley, and TBWA/Worldwide chairman Lee Clow were among those who created images for the digital platform, which has resulted in more than 24.8 million page views since Burberry introduced the concept in 2009, setting a gold standard for fashion brands seeking to engage in online content and technology. And there’s one underlying reason for its success: It’s always fun to look at pictures of people wearing trench coats.Learn More: Take a tour through a gallery of Burberry-clad notables, and see our previous coverage of Bailey’s arrival on the Walk of Style.
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