Burberry Bliss

Burberry is undeniably Britain's first and foremost premier luxury label, and you'd be hard pushed to find something more iconic in the fashion world than one of Burberry's signature trench coats. The history of the trench coat is quite fascinating, given it's ground-breaking fabric technology and the brand's phenomenal resurgence over recent years after the disaster that can be only be referred to as "chav-gate", but more on that later. We were beyond excited when we sourced some original 1980's Burberry trench coats; it's not every day that you find a vintage variation of a design that is still as popular now as it was almost a century ago. 

Burberry was founded by Thomas Burberry in 1856, the brand established itself by focusing on outdoor attire. In 1880, Thomas Burberry invented the revolutionary fabric, gabardine; this fabric was hard-wearing, water resistant yet breathable. Orders were flooding in for this phenomenal fabric, but Burberry's first major client was none other than the British Army; the coats that Burberry made for the British Army would eventually become the inspiration behind the signature trench coats that we all know and love today. Quite the heritage, huh? Over the years, the trench coat has kept it's original basis of shape and is still made from 26 pieces of gabardine of various sizes, and it usually comes with a buckled belt and D-rings.

Yet, it's difficult to so much as utter the word Burberry without remembering the state of disarray that it fell into back in 2002...yes, it's time to discuss "chav-gate". We've all seen the photo of Danniella Westbrook looking as though she had bathed herself in that famous Burberry chequered print; it was at this one single moment that Burberry went from chic to chav. Peter York went on to state that "quite a lot of people thought that Burberry would be worn by the person who mugged them." The brand had fallen victim to its own success; luxury stops being luxury when it becomes too accessible.  At this point, it didn't seem as though Burberry had a hope of reviving its cult status, but somehow, they did.  Christopher Bailey, the creative director of Burberry, reduced the use of the check print and focused solely on the good bits of Burberry's heritage; the trench coat. Now, Burberry is fronted by only the most desirable models, namely Cara Delevingne, Kate Moss, Jourdan Dunn and even a cameo appearance from Romeo Beckham! 

The trench coat encapsulates everything that Burberry stands for, it's traditional yet timeless; it is one of the few styles that is able to withstand the ever-changing, and sometimes fickle, fashion trends. The trench coat has endured countless updates, yet it's roots and heritage are never forgotten, so it remains to be both familiar and classic.

You can shop our range of vintage Burberry coats here. Hurry though, because they're selling fast!

So, This Is Christmas...

Well, it's that time of year again and to quote the famous song, the weather outside is most certainly frightful. But, do you know what really helps make these cold, winter nights more bearable? A Christmas jumper. Ah, where do I even begin? The Christmas jumper is something of a rite of passage, I'm a firm believer that everyone should have some cheesy, Mark Darcy esque festive jumper tucked away in the darkest recesses of their wardrobe. Admittedly, if you were to rewind a few years then you'd know that Christmas jumpers were considered something of a fashion faux pas, but over the most recent years, they've become something of a much-loved novelty within the fashion world, with celebrities and models alike joining in with the festive fun. In fact, in 2012, the charity Save The Children founded the hugely successful "Christmas Jumper Day" which is now an annual event in which they raise money and awareness for disadvantaged children in over 120 countries; December 12th is their official date this year. All jokes aside, Christmas is quintessentially a time of giving, and this is such a great cause, and it's also a fun, yet simple event to take part in to help some truly deserving children, so to quote Save The Children, let's "make the world better with a sweater." Our festive offering, you ask? This little vintage (what else?!) 80s number from Ralph Lauren...

Jumper is unisex and can be purchased here

This item is a rare, vintage treasure and has been hand-knitted. The second photo shows how it looks inside-out, and you can see the attention to detail that has been paid and the work that has gone into producing this jumper. The contrasting colours of cream, red and forest green make this jumper pop in a truly unique way; the skiing teddy bears add a touch of the eccentric and make this a quirky and fun piece. To quickly recap on the craftsmanship of this jumper, you can rest assured that this is an investment piece; we've dated it as an 80s piece and the condition is still excellent, so this little number could easily become your favourite jumper for the annual celebrations. The tag says that it's a medium size, but we've sized it as more of a large; as a woman, I'd personally wear it layered over a skirt and tights, with the sleeves rolled up because I like the oversized look, but as it's unisex it's easily styled for a man. Although I should warn you ladies; this jumper isn't going to turn your man into a Mark Darcy overnight. Sorry.

So, whether you're looking for a last minute outfit for Christmas jumper day, or a quirky alternative to wear to the table for your Christmas meal - this Ralph Lauren number could be for you. There's no denying that it's a head turner. Oh, and another thing...you can read more about the Save The Children "Christmas Jumper Day" here, and find out how to take part and donate.