Burberry Prorsum Resort 2013 Collection

Yes, it rains in the U.K., and as everyone around the globe knows, Burberry’s exponentially increasing fortunes spring from Christopher Bailey’s manipulation of trench-coat iconography. 

So it’s hard to criticize a formula that is clearly successful, absolutely recognizable, and unwavering in its continuity. Bailey tagged his resort collection “sensual strictness,” but compared to other pre-collections, there’s actually more of a casual air about the reworkings of house tailoring, like his taupe-and-ivory seersucker pantsuit, paper-bag–waisted trousers coordinated with “Prorsum” print T-shirts, knits with swooped necklines, and the house’s signature shrunken motorcycle jackets. At the young end, there are cute printed shorts (actually boxers, adapted from the men’s collection) and at the slightly more mature end, pencil skirts. The trench, though, gets its moment of glory moment, upgraded to a light gold lamé.

Burberry's Tie-In Campaign

Now that a small selection of their spring / summer 2012 collection has begun to appear in their stores, Burberry have released the first pictures from the tie-in campaign aimed at promoting both their men’s and women’s collections.

Let's Go Nude... With The Burberry Nude Collection

Given the racy nature of its barely dressed video and print campaign with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, you'd expect the new Burberry Body fragrance to inspire a line of, well, cold showers.

Instead, it's the first scent to spawn its own ready-to-wear clothing collection, aptly called Burberry Nude. Available for purchase now, the offerings include several reworkings of the classic camel trench coat — from a feminine jacquard number with a bow-tied waist to versions in fur, buttery-soft leather, and glossy satin.

Burberry Cruise 2012 Collection

Christopher Bailey has emphasised how important Cruise collections have become to retailers and to the consumer as he unveils Burberry Prorsum's pre-Spring/Summer 2012 offering this week.

"The consumer is constantly looking to be excited and inspired when they walk into the store - and this is why we develop several capsule collections in between the main seasonal collections," he said. "Customers really always want newness which is where the concept of the Cruise collections originally started." He also revealed that rather than acting as a separate entity, the Cruise collection is very much a precursor to the spring/summer offering.