By Royal Appointment The Country Look
British Style Genius Episode 4 of 5
The British may not have a national costume but if they did
it would be the country look: tweeds, tartans and florals, and timeless
classics like the trench coat and waxed jacket. From Burberry to Barbour, it's
no accident that a country obsessed with the weather has become a market leader
in clothes designed to repel the wind and rain.
Although styled not for fashion but practicality, the look
has nonetheless been endlessly appealing to designers like Christopher Bailey
who, backstage at the Milan fashion show, demonstrates how he has reinvented
the trench coat. In London, Luella Bartley walks us through her collection of
floral print dresses, a modern take on Laura Ashley, and rock star Eric Clapton
illustrates why the cut of a country jacket is more about purpose than style.
The most famous fan of country attire has been the Queen and
it is her 'at leisure' look of tartans and headscarves that is now providing
the inspiration for Italian designers Dolce and Gabbana. It is perhaps no
surprise that that these comforting and practical clothes, the embodiment of
tradition, protectiveness and durability, are back in fashion as the ill winds
of recession blow.
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