No prizes for guessing who’s on the mood board as Burberry’s creative team plans its latest campaign. Olivia Colman leans against a 4×4 with lush green leaves in the background. She wears a khaki quilted jacket and a distinctive Burberry check blouse peeking out from the collar and cuffs. The images include Colman’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. She could easily be confused with the promotional photos from the episode in which she played Elizabeth. Crown.
The late Queen was clearly the inspiration for these shots, which are part of the new It’s Always Burberry Weather campaign. This slogan was borrowed from the archives to reference the “robust elements of the brand’s clothing and the unpredictable British flair”. fashion house Model Cara Delevingne, shot by Alasdair McLellan, also poses in front of the Houses of Parliament in the campaign.
If anyone was good at dressing elegantly for the unpredictable British weather, it was Queen Elizabeth. As an episode CrownThe film, which starred Colman, confirmed that the late monarch’s country wardrobe was built to pass the “Balmoral test”; sturdy shoes and waterproof jackets were essential to meet the demands of long walks across muddy moors where the weather was not allowed to hinder. It’s an obstacle to the task at hand, whether it’s hunting a deer or giving Margaret Thatcher a hard time.
Depicting Colman, a national treasure in her own right, in Queen Elizabeth mode is a smart move by Burberry, which is currently going through a turbulent period after falling off the FTSE 100 and expected to post losses in the next round. results. These images will remind people around the world of their long-standing ties to the Royal family; The company was first awarded a Royal Warrant by Queen Elizabeth in 1955 and received a second award from the then Prince of Wales in 1990. Burberry’s weatherproof coats have become completely synonymous with the Royal family’s passion for off-duty work.
Burberry is re-establishing its own legacy but also tapping into the huge appetite for royal nostalgia. It’s not the only fashion brand to approve of Queen Elizabeth’s rustic look lately. Miu Miu, the brand of Italian designer Miuccia Prada, paid tribute to the ‘fearlessness of British style’ last month with the Miu Balmoral collection consisting of wax jackets, feminine bags and knitted sweaters. Meanwhile, Fendi has tapped Princess Anne, undoubtedly following in her mother’s country-chic footsteps, as the muse for its autumn/winter collection, which was shown in Milan earlier this year. Further back, many designers, from Dolce and Gabbana to Erdem and Max Mara to Ian Griffiths, paid homage to Queen Elizabeth with their designs.
“I think the main reason why designers have continued to return to the off-duty royal look, especially in the last few years, is the rural lifestyle’s association with sustainability and longevity,” says historian and author Rosie Harte.Royal Wardrobe: Peek into the Closets of History’s Most Fashionable Royal Family. “Iconic images of the Queen enjoying the British countryside evoke a sense of tradition. “Unlike the outfits royals wear to public events, which are often specific to their unique lifestyle and updated for each event, their country looks feature much-loved, decades-old items that serve a practical purpose.”
We also love how Queen Elizabeth has become an accidental style icon with her country outfits. “Unlike her sister Margaret, the Queen never tried to be fashionable, just practical,” says Harte. “Her clothes had to serve the role she was playing at any given time, and it was well known that she was more comfortable with a pair of boots and a sturdy coat than a bright dress.” Or as Suzy Menkes wrote in her 1992 book Queen and Country: “For the Queen the country is neither a paradise nor an escape; it is her true, royal world.”
Although it is now revered as the epitome of British country cool, with its brogues, kilts, cardigans, waterproof coats and wind-defying Hermès headscarves (with the Land Rover as another key accessory), it was never a product produced by the late Queen. It wasn’t the view. Earn style points. He retained a no-nonsense demeanor even when he probably realized the effect of the look; In 2012, Dame Margaret Barbour revealed that the Queen wanted her old coat refinished rather than getting rid of it. “Owning a very well-worn Barbour jacket is very desirable,” Barbour said.
In Burberry’s campaign, Colman draws attention to this innate sense of practicality. In some pictures he is shown with a flock of sheep in front of him. She takes it all in stride, looking as relaxed and happy as Queen Elizabeth would undoubtedly do in the same environment.