For Fall Winter 2008-09 Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey went in the
opposite direction from his Spring 2008 collection which was
a vibrant jubilee of color.
The label found it’s inspiration in
L.S. Lowry, an artist from northern England. Lowry was famous for depicting life in England’s industrial areas, and tended to use
drab gritty colors. The designer told Reuters, “I really wanted to look at all the old Lowry paintings … there’s something quite nostalgic, there’s something (in them) a little romantic, something a bit industrial.”
Bailey’s inspiration came across as leaves flooded the runway to set the
earth tone in which the collection was based. The muted color palette involved rich deep shades of reds and browns.
The cut of Baileys
matchstick thin suits was sharp and unforgiving. They were accompanied by silk shirts with prints that were untucked.
The muted color palette forces you to study the details which included piping on suit jackets and fur trimming on coats. cable knit beanie hats were ubiquitous throughout the show, as were gloves of all sorts. Knit gloves, fingerless gloves, reptile skin gloves, gloves with extra long cuffs, Burberry is heavily pushing their accessories game.
And here's about the Inspirator:Lowry and Loneliness The first time I saw the paintings of the British artist, Laurence Stephen Lowry, I was struck by their humor and sense of optimism. Later, when I read about him, I was surprised to be told that most of the paintings characterized the deep loneliness of the man. That painting – and classical music, his other passion – were buffers against the cold winds of his single existence. Lowry never married and was always something of a recluse – exactly the things to mark him out as odd in our society. But loneliness is not a permanent state and Lowry was certainly not socially handicapped – acquaintances and friends speak of his warm sense of humor – so it seems to me that perhaps he was just a person who simply preferred his own company the best and saw no reason to change the state of things.
Lowry, The ArtistLowry painted and studied art diligently for a very long time – it used to annoy him quite a bit in later years when people assumed he was a 'self-taught' artist, who came by his art easily, without all the practice and hard-work that goes into it. For all the child-like stick figures in his work, he had worked hard to develop a good proficiency at Life Painting and he sketched almost incessantly. He used
to carry along a sketchbook on his work rounds and every time something interesting caught his eye, he would stop and make a quick sketch. These sketches were later incorporated into his paintings. Mostly of his early works were industrial scenes. His color palette was limited –
vermilion, yellow ochre, prussian blue, white, and
black mainly.
He was interested in art for art's sake - and his work shows a very sympathetic and observant eye for detail - and he never really bothered about trying to sell his works or try to set up an exhibition. He probably would have remained unnoticed if his works, sent to a shop for framing, had not been seen by an art dealer from London. Immediately impressed, he sought the artist out and insisted on giving him a one-man exhibition at the Alex Reid & Lefevre Ltd. Art Gallery in London.
The exhibition was a success, with the Tate Gallery buying one painting, and from henceforth, Lowry was feted in the art world and his paintings sold for good sums of money.
