In line with the see-now, buy-now argument that’s been brewing in high fashion circles for quite some time, Burberry has put on sale its entire September collection as soon as it was previewed on the London catwalk, days after Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger made similar moves in New York. This move had been in the making for some time, with the idea gaining momentum that the months of gap between viewing a collection and owning it is frustrating. The show was streamed online around the world, and was rich in historical references with heavy prints, military embroidery on jackets and ruffs inspired by Virginia Woolf’s epoch-spanning novel Orlando. The move to “buy now” is built upon doing away with the long held custom of displaying collections one season ahead. And now this change has pitted the more business-centric fashion weeks in London and New York against Milan and Paris, where luxury labels such as Dior and Chanel argue that instant gratification will disrupt the creative process. The path that high fashion takes from here will be an interesting thing to follow!
