Nina Simone's I Put a Spell on You kicks off Burberry Prorsum's star-studded ready to wear show for the next season - and Christopher Bailey does
A hush passes around the vast temporary conservatory at the edge of Hyde park. The door close, the scrum is over. The paparazzi stop bothering big name guests Sienna Miller, Gemma Atterton, Ellie Goulding and Kanye West (again).
The rest of us mere fashion mortals perch on the edge of our canvas stools and hold our collective breath for show to begin.
Nina Simone's I Put a Spell on You chimes out - and Christopher Bailey does.
Cara Delevigne is out first, supported by a grinning sister Poppy in the front row. She wears a full skirted plum trademark trench, belted at the waist. She's swiftly followed by Jourdan Dunn, in a full, green skirt and a plum and green jumper. Both wear deer-stalker-esque peaked caps with woolly bobbles on the top. It's at this point that I start to wonder whether Christopher Bailey knew something I don't about the weather for 2012…
There follows the most exquisitely tailored pencil skirts, wedge boots, oversized collars - a few with fur trims, a hangover from AW'11 - prom dresses with full 50s skirts and nipped-in waists, and a strong bold stripe running through many of the pieces.
Bailey combines Burberry heritage with eclectic touches, from heavy, woven, Mexican print coats to tribal, chunky jewellery and adornments. The overall effect is surprising: Feminine and nostalgic yet new and exciting.
It's decidedly un-summery for the most part, with teals, plums and sombre greens making up the majority of the palette. But the muted tones only serve to make the odd flash of colour - Jourdan Dunn's divine turquoise trench - more vibrant than ever.
The overall effect is one that has us smiling all the way back to our BlackBerrys and for the rest of the day.
WATCH THE CATWALK SHOW VIDEO HERE: