burberry

We aren't in London for Fashion Week but we can bring a little of it to you, livestreaming the the Burberry A/W 2011 show today. The runway event features not only Burberry clothing but Burberry Beauty cosmetics will be used to create complementary looks. Enjoy the show.

A recent decision by two venerable British brands to drop the Royal Warrants from their packaging has occasioned some hand-wringing in the UK over whether the much-coveted distinction has lost its lustre. The Classicist calls it a tempest in a Royal Doulton teacup; read on to find out why. Only three royals are entitled to grant warrants – the Queen of England, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales – to firms who supply their royal requisites for at least five years, though most warrant holders have ties to Britain's royal family dating back several decades or more. Of course, Prince William will one day be granting his own.

Holders of the Royal Warrant include many of our favorite luxury brands – Asprey, Aston Martin, Bentley, Barbour, Burberry, Fortnum & Mason, Gieves & Hawkes, Holland & Holland, Hunter Boots, Jaguar, John Lobb, Johnnie Walker, Land Rover, Laphroaig, Lock & Co., Swaine Adeney Brigg, Smythson, Tanqueray and Turnbull & Asser – along with a host of lesser names, such as After Eight mints and Jacob's Cream Crackers. It is the latter two that have now decided to do without their warrants – though no insult is intended to the royal family, as it was when former Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed burned his last year. That coupled with the results of a new survey showing that only 13% of respondents thought that warrants make any difference have called their usefulness into question, the London Guardian reports.

However, "It's hard to say that interest in royal warrants is conclusively on the wane," Vicky Bullen, chief executive of Coley Porter Bell, tells the paper, "because there is no existing data with which to make a comparison. However, consumers' apparent indifference to the royal warrants has surprised us. We can only surmise there could be a number of factors at play." Said factors, Bullen says, include "that we live in a less deferential society in which the royal family enjoys less prestige and political support." That of course is not exactly new, though the upcoming Royal Wedding may give them a boost. [cont'd]

Burberry goes just a tad edgier than usual by dressing up a classicly "clean" Burberry base shape with a heavy chain embellishment and rugged looking designer-stamped turnlock closure on front. The overall effect comes off as a hybrid between stylish city chic and functional archaeologist cool. Features include brown grained leather, gold hardware, tab fastening front, doubled rolled top handles, and an interior divided into two zipped compartments -- each lined in signature Burberry checked twill and featuring zip and pouch pockets of their own. The Chain-Embellished Leather Bag retails for $1,395.

All eyes were on the Savoy Hotel and Theatre in London this week, where the 2010 British Fashion Awards took place on Tuesday night. Here are the highlights:

Phoebe Philo (pictured above with Bianca Jagger) earned the British Designer of the Year award for her role as creative director of Celine. She is currently driving the industry with her understated take on minimalism.

The British Style award went to fashion's It girl Alexa Chung (pictured below with Bryan Ferry) for embodying the spirit of London and being and helping to establish London as a fashion capital. If you don't know who Chung is, you will. The New York Times in a story a few weeks ago called "The Making of Fashion's Latest 'It' Girl," called her the most famous person you've never heard of. She's a huge star in England -- the award was decided by public vote -- and a muse for fashion people. She's also highly revered in the blogosphere.

Victoria Beckham, who was nominated for the Designer Brand award, lost out to British handbag maker Mulberry. Jetting in from L.A., where she now lives, the spice girl said she was proud to be British and proud just to be nominated.

When you've got Angelina Jolie on your arm in a thigh-and-cleavage bearing cream-colored cashmere confection, the best thing for a man to do is provide the perfectly elegant backdrop. Brad Pitt pulled that off with flair to spare at the premiere of Jolie's new movie The Tourist in New York the other night. The dashing actor's all-black outfit was topped with a ruggedly stylish military-inspired double breasted wool greatcoat with a capacious shearling collar from Burberry's acclaimed Autumn / Winter 2010 collection (one of their cool leather-trimmed bags appeared in our recent Fall Style feature). The actor accessorized the seriously warm coat, which has a quilted lining and half belt, with a casually tied black scarf. Add Angelina and you've got the perfect ensemble, not to mention the world's most stylish couple.

I have a personal penchant for bags that aren't made of leather (I know, call me crazy) and although this Burberry Nylon Tote has leather trim it makes it into the "my favorite casual day bags" group with ease. Available in six different colors, including several rich jewel tones and a couple spunky neutrals, it's a fairly basic tote design but with a little extra personality in the form of adjustable drawstring sides with extra long strings. It has double top handles, a zip-top closure, and of course the iconic Burberry checks are all over the interior lining along with one zip pocket. A steal at just $250.

Some people look at the colder weather as an excuse to head south for the winter; we like to think of it as an opportunity to wear lots of new clothes and find fun ways of keeping warm. In the spirit of getting ready for the season in style we took the new 2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, some classic country clothing and ruggedly handsome accouterments on a tour through the glorious autumnal landscape of northern New England, documenting our excursion with the cool new Olympus PEN E-PL1 digital camera. We let the foliage flaunt the bright colors, keeping the clothing to an elegant, understated palette of greens, grays and earthy tones with rich leather, suede and alligator skin details and subtle tortoiseshells and tartans for contrast. Warm textures of wool, cashmere, tweed, moleskin and waxed cotton combined with equestrian and hunting elements guard against the elements and the hazards of the terrain (and local fauna), handling any activity without sacrificing anything in the way of style.

That's also an apt description of the new Cayenne Turbo, hands-down the sportiest SUV around. For 2011 it gets a sleeker and more aggressive appearance, better performance and fuel economy, garnering it the 2011 Motor Trend Sport/Utility of the Year title (they noted that "the Cayenne's driving experience eclipsed that of every other contender"). Powered by a 4.8-liter, twin-turbo V8 engine generating 500 hp, it can do 0–60 mph in just 4.4 seconds if you're so inclined. Equipped with the Porsche Traction Management (PTM) active all-wheel-drive system it can do just about anything else. Fitted with Porsche's new eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission with paddle shifters on the steering wheel and a luxurious leather interior influenced by the Panamera, it features a state-of-the-art navigation system with real-time traffic updates, a surround sound system with iPod interface, Bluetooth hands-free phone operation, 18-way adaptive sport seats and more – in short, all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a $105,000 SUV with a Porsche pedigree.

The Burberry Plissé Leather Tote is a very pretty bag with a lot more character than you usually see in either a tote or in the white family.

Throwing the descriptor "simple" out the door, this bag is lavish in its complexity and style. There's one big pleat in this luxurious plissé leather, artfully balanced with a low logo tag. Rivets trim the edges of this bowler shape, adding both sparkle and strength. What you can't see is the luxurious black lining, as well as the protective metal feet (goldtone, of course). The 13"W X 13½"H X 6½"D bag has multiple interior compartments, and the generous width ensures you won't run out of space.

This "Trench" colored bag is so supple, you'll probably spend as much time stroking and hugging it as carrying it. It will look classic with jeans and modern with your work clothes. This could easily be your go-to bag for the entire season.

The Burberry Plissé Leather Tote is available for pre-order from Saks Fifth Avenue for $1,495.00.

The Burberry Small Check Shoulder Bag is a delightfully kicky new venture for Burberry.

This happily trimmed purse also comes in a cheery shade of red, which picks up the red line in the Burberry check quite handsomely -- but we couldn't resist featuring this sunny, yet autumnal yellow.

This retro bowler-shaped bag features a classy Burberry pleat adorned with a subtly hidden logo. We love the handles, so get rid of that shoulder strap if you don't absolutely need it. The Italian-made bag is 12"W X 8½"H X 5¼"D, just small enough to ensure that no one mistakes it for your work bag. It's lined in cotton and has several inside pockets to keep your leisure-time goodies organized.

The Burberry Small Check Shoulder Bag is available from Saks Fifth Avenue for $1,095.00.

Blowing snow and whipping winds are just around the corner but not to worry, Burberry's new Winter Storms capsule collection has the stuff to help you toughen up this winter and look your best no matter what the weather does. Featuring something for everyone (men, women, children) the collection is heavy on black and marked by over-sized check patterns and metal studs in unlikely places (such as on the shoulder of a t-shirt or the underside of a jacket collar) that lend a certain punk air to otherwise conservative pieces. There are even office-worthy knit sweaters and pencil skirts with rows of studs to help you let out your inner bad-ass just ever so slightly. Winter doesn't stand a chance. $195 - $2195

It's been awhile since I've picked a studded black leather handbag to feature but the trend is going strong as this Burberry beauty demonstrates. The Studded Leather Knight Bag will bring a strong dose of tough-girl chic to your travel wardrobe. Part of Burberry's "Winter Storms" line that puts a modern twist on classic pieces, this bag features a plethora (love it when I can use that word) of gunmetal studs, an attached buckle-fastening key fob, protective metal feet, double top handles, and an interior that features two large compartments with zip closure and a black and white lining in the signature Burberry check pattern. $2,195

As much as we may love an oversized handbag, sometimes an occasion, or an outfit, calls for a smaller bag that still packs personality. That's when you go for Burberry's Alligator Sling Bag ($14,500).

It's heavily embellished with brass hardware which surprisingly doesn't feel overdone or cheapen the bag's rockstar appeal. However, alligator provides such texture and depth and combined with a warm color palette, Burberry's Sling Bag would be equally exceptional, if not more, without embellishments.

In addition to a rolled shoulder handle, there's also a detachable flat shoulder strap. The interior is lined with sateen and features a zipped pocket. Also available in ink (navy blue) with black metal hardware. Measurements: 15 1/2" L x 7 1/4" H x 1 1/2" W.

Burberry has infused a rocker edge with feminine sex appeal in their Aviator Shearling Boots ($1395). Everything that Burberry Prorsum presented for their Autumn/Winter 2010 line has been lust worthy. We love everything but had to feature their boots – they are so gorgeous.

Fashioned in cracked leather and accented with gold buckles along the vamp to the top of the boots, they are lined with a cozy curly shearling that will surely keep your feet extremely warm. The Avaitors have a 5 inch heel and a gripped army sole that would complement any pair of skinny jeans, oversized sweater and a pair of bold earrings ensemble.

This Burberry Prorsum Callaway Pleated Bag is a personal favorite of mine, thanks to the unique combination of textures and the lovely, autumn-inspired shade of purple. Heavily pleated and patterned leather is reigned in via extra-large piping detail around the bag's perimeter. The only other external embellishment is the small designer-embossed plaque on the front and the double top handles (one removable) that flaunt stitching and gold plate embellishments. A basic zippered top closure leads to an interior lined in black designer-stamped satin and both a patch and zippered pocket. $1,895

Burberry is always a great source for fashionable, classic neutrals that exude style without screaming obnoxiously. This Burberry Quilted Leather Hobo is called "tobacco," which is being advertised as "the opulent alternative to black." This generously sized bag features a comfy, quilted body with a belt-style leather band looped through the drawstring top, a single leather top handle, burnished goldtone hardware, and a push-stud fastening top closure. The interior is lined in signature checked twill, has one internal zip pocket, and is divided by a large zipped compartment running down the center. $1,295