Bailey

Cristopher Bailey (1971) was an english designer. Like a plastic surgeon, he performed a total face lift on a famous brand, Burberry. Respecting the family traditions, he updated them with a fresh touch that was sometimes spirited and even provocative but never bourgeois. This was especially true with respect to Burberry Prorsum, the most important line. The traditional checkered and striped patterns were not up for discussion, but they would often sparkle with lurex in order to make a new customer feel like a rock star. Or they would be matched with rather unconventional but high-impact accessories. After his graduation from the Royal College of Art in London, Bailey worked with Donna Karan from 1994 to 1996 and with Tom Ford at Gucci from 1996 to 2001. As a good Englishman, however, he feels more comfortable now that he works for a British company. He loves to break with tradition by using irreverent combinations, with an eye to the 1970s, his favorite decade. So, under a perfect jacket with impeccably finished tailoring, he puts a cheap T-“shirt or a vintage blouse. He is a polite and reserved young man, perhaps even shy. Season after season, his young, fresh and lively presentations win the approval of the public and the critics. Thomas Burberry, who created his famous raincoat in the middle of the 19th century, would be pleased.