“All extremes of feeling are allied with madness” – Virginia Woolf
Then so be it! Tonight i unleashed the beast and went with the flow. Greeted with champagne and a delicious array of homemade cakes and other yummy delights, I entered the Burberry Makers House. The pop-up fashion and event space is the latest collab between the iconic British fashion house and design store, The New Craftsmen, where visitors can see pieces from the brand’s latest collection as well as demonstrations from local makers.
It didn’t seem at all the craftsmen’s place you might expect. Decadent and beautifully decorated interiors resembled a film set, carefully prepared for one of the chapters from Orlando. I loved it! How clever these parallels between fashion and literature. Elegance and style drawn from the 18th Century, echoes of certain characters from the book, mixed themes of sexuality – all could be seen through the new collection by Christopher Bailey, characterised by the men’s slouchy, oversized shirts with ruffled collars and women’s pyjama striped dresses, as well as soft pastel-hued outerwear.
And how friendly the atmosphere! I managed to get a snap for you. I met Jessica Light, who awed me with her elaborate trimming techniques, and Rosalind Wyatt, the talented calligrapher. Showing genuine passion for their crafts, they were eager to explain their talent in detail. I couldn’t have had a better evening – and the icing on the cake was a customised StylenSnitch logo, by Burberry’s best, for me to keep.
