How do you sum up an entire era of a brand? By combining the moment’s brightest stars and key faces from its heritage. The casting at Christopher Bailey’s final show for Burberry encapsulated the effortlessly cool look he’s best known for while celebrating the fact that the collection itself was dedicated to LGBTQ youth. With model-activist Adwoa Aboah opening in a rainbow-covered skirt, followed by the freshly buzz-cut Misha Hart, the vibe was young, fun, and keeping with the feel that casting directors Barbara Nicoli and Leila Ananna have given Bailey’s lineups in previous seasons. Buzzy male models like Jonas Glöer, Christian H., and Marlon Pendlebury rounded out the group adding swagger to the proceedings.
Of course, the biggest surprise was the runway return of Cara Delevingne. Absent from Fashion Week since Chanel’s Ritz Pre-Fall extravaganza back in 2016, since then, Delevingne has focused the bulk of her attentions on acting. Hopping back onto the catwalk for Bailey in a floor-grazing rainbow fur coat, which she swished dramatically as “Don’t Leave Me This Way” blared in the background, it was clear she had fun revisiting her old career. As a vocal advocate for LGBTQ causes and the longtime face of everything Burberry, Delevingne provided a fitting conclusion to a landmark show.