Issue link: https://www.balharbourdigital.com/i/86796
Burton's turn to softness and femininity has been increasingly evident on the runway. Fall 2012 derived its inspiration from the house's ongoing obsession with the wild world of flora and fauna. Bond Street flagship in London. Texture and color have softened the chrome- inflected minimalism of yore. Wall coverings are now lacquered linen, silk and rubbed gesso. Lighting has a new warm tone. There are gilt mirrors, moldings and claw-foot velvet furniture rich with organic detail. It's a level of luxury and sensuality that pairs well with the clothes, and the people who buy them. Burton's turn to softness and femininity has been increasingly evident on the runway. Fall 2012 derived its inspiration from the house's ongoing obsession with the wild world of flora and fauna: dresses, shaggy furs and ostrich feather coats burst open like flowers or sea creatures. But the palette was unusually delicate, and there was a new emphasis on tailored volume—coats and skirts were full, nary a pencil skirt in sight. The commercial collection now in McQueen boutiques worldwide, with its circle skirts and governess outerwear, could almost be described as prim, were it not for telltale razor-sharp shoulders and waists, beautifully defined by stately leather corset belts. Those belts are just one stone in a new accessories mountain that Burton is building, one coveted bag at a time. First was the Knuckle Box clutch, a minaudière embellished with an oversized clasp resembling the Boardwal k Empire-era fighting tool. Now comes the Heroine, a roomy, sophisticated, highly structured shoulder bag whose wide choice of skins (from suede to leather to alligator) signals its status as a future cornerstone. These pieces are perfect symbols of Burton's new McQueen: evocative and sophisticated as always, but with a broader new appeal that both complements the house's past and moves beyond it. BH Left, a look from the Fall/Winter 2012 collection; far left, the new Bal Harbour store. 44 BAL HARBOUR