CHRISTOPHER BAILEY must have joined Willy Wonka in his chocolate factory several times over the last couple of months. Like unwrapping the Italian candy you buy in bulk at local supermarkets, his Burberry Prorsum’s spring/summer 2013 menswear collection crackled naughtily all the way through - from that very first metallic blue caban collar, through a stunning foil trench coat in electric fuchsia and the orange-lemony leather bomber jacket closing the show, Burberry Prorsum’s candy selection was one of its most flavourful so far.
Midnight blue, grey and black suits, trousers slim, long and high-waisted, formed the base. These were then dipped in seasonal micro-printed blue and dark yellow shirts, later to be cloaked in green, blue, yellow, burgundy, violet and fuchsia metallics – either as turtlenecks or low-cut shirts, trousers and bomber jackets. The reinvention of grandpa scarves – paisley substituted for baby squares – into full-scaled fabrics was intriguing. And as far as those reworked bomber jackets go, we want one in each colour combination.
Yellow and blue metallic strappy sandals will also make it onto our hit list. The problem with candy is that you can never have enough and hardly ever know when to stop. Watch out, Willy Wonka, Christopher Bailey is becoming our favourite candy man.