Show report: Burberry Prorsum A/W'12

The London Fashion Week heavyweight's autumn/winter 2012 collection was brimming with British fashion classsics

While Burberry is clearly the frontrunner when it comes to fashion brands pushing digital innovation (today’s show was once again live streamed online, with tweets aplenty and its well-heeled front row guests’ video interviews swiftly finding their way onto YouTube), the luxury label’s autumn/winter 2012 Prorsum collection took a step back and wholeheartedly celebrated its heritage roots with a traditionally country look.

Burberry has always been always been a quintessentially British brand, but with this summer’s London Olympics looming and an especially patriotic fashion week unfolding, the label’s latest womenswear collection seemed more English than ever before.

Looking to the country squire and lady of the manor as inspiration (call it the Downton Abbey effect), Burberry designer Christopher Bailey’s latest collection featured lots of fabulous outerwear – think classic tweed riding jackets and tailored herringbone winter coats, as well as those with a fresh twist, such as the iconic belted trench coat with contrast panels of cotton gabardine and tweed, silk bomber styles and the cropped wax jacket, that would surely take pride of place in front row star Alexa Chung’s coat collection.

Ruffle detailed horsewoman’s skirts, flat caps, and duck handle walking sticks (on the male models) continued with the hunting and shooting theme, but aside from the heritage pieces, there were lots of contemporary gems too.

For the city section of the 'Town and Field' collection, there were cute owl slogan tops and knits, which looked youthful and fun, while the cord pencil skirts and long-sleeved dresses in autumnal hues were perfect winter attire and all totally wearable. It’s not a £1.5billion business for nothing.

As for the accessories, black gloves and clutches were toughened up with shimmering gold studs, nubuk leather bags featured owl or fox head clasps, and the ankle boots were laced-up and fringed, which had the front row guests, including Kate Bosworth, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Clemence Poesy and Eddie Redmayne, staring in awe.

For the finale, the breathtaking glass tent show venue in Kensington Gardens was showered in water to the sound of rainfall as the models strutted down the long catwalk all holding umbrellas to shield themselves from gold tickertape dropping from the ceiling.

And it doesn’t get more English than drizzly weather. But with clothes this good, we couldn’t be more proud.