Burberry Prorsum A/W 2011 Pre-Collection

Burberry recently released photos for their Autumn/Winter 2011 Pre-Collection and I wanted to share some of my favorite pieces from what has been released.

As you have probably come to expect from the Burberry Prorsum line, there was a focus on reworking their traditional trench as well as other coat styles in very creative ways. Here we see Burberry once again working with a color palette with some punch. This time they stuck with burnt orange accents based around a lot of dark earth tones, deep browns and blacks.  The overall aesthetic definitely has a night out on the town feel and a lot of sophistication to it at that.

It appears the shearling jacket trend is here to stay for at least another season and Burberry embraced it for the A/W 2011 Prorsum collection. I love the shearling lining and the color of the jacket is beautiful. The orange sweater underneath is also an excellent addition and really makes this look pop out. This look was rounded out with dark brown slacks and brown leather shoes that appeared quite regularly in this pre-collection.

This is another shearling jacket from the pre-collection, this time with a dark plaid fabric. I love the edge this coat has even though it is in a darker fabric. Once again, it looks great paired with the brown pants and leather shoes.

I absolutely loved this look. It stands out a bit from most of the collection, but still fits the general aesthetic of the pre-collection. I loved the unique pattern emanating from the neck and the deep blue color is absolutely perfect on it.  

These two looks were both great. The jacket on the left is something different from Burberry and the leather trim around the edge looks great. The pants paired with the jacket are definitely a unique look, but still look great in the darker color. For some reason, I really like the sweater on the right. It is incredibly simple and the color is amazing. The speckled brown wool pants paired with it are incredible and probably my favorite pair shown in the pre-collection.

Here is a perfect example of a couple trench coat re-workings for the A/W 2011 pre-collection. I like both, but the oversized herringbone pattern on the left jacket is absolutely incredible. This is by far my favorite coat from the pre-collection.

Finally, to round out my favorites, I wanted to show a couple of the suits from the pre-collection. The color of the left suit is amazing and has a great cut. The suit on the right is definitely unique and a stand out from the collection for me (although not wholly practical for people working in the real world).

The Prorsum pre-collection definitely looks different than their S/S 2011 line. The colors tend to run darker and there is a swing to dressier or more formal clothing. While the spring line was filled with casual looks, studs and leather jackets, the A/W collection has a number of suits as well as both a peaked lapel tux and shawl collar tux. This line is absolutely also completely void of studs, giving it a bit less of that punk edge and more of a sophisticated and mature edge that I think is working really well.

The Black Tie Guide

I very much believe that everyone should show their individuality and creativity in how they dress. Having a unique personal style is essential as it is a visual representation of who you are and often a first or only impression on others.

That being said, I believe there is one instance where creativity should be kept to a minimum and simple, understated classics are the only way to go.  That instance is black tie dress.  Classic black tie is about elegance, not flamboyance, and you want your date's dress to stand out, not you.

I know for many of the readers here (myself very much included), a black tie requirement is probably an incredibly rare event.  While this may be the case, I definitely believe that every guy should have knowledge of what black tie means exactly (or even better, know where to look to find out what it means), so when the time comes, you aren't caught off guard.

That is why I wanted to share a resource I found recently.  It extensively covers the subject in a simple way.  So check it out and you might just find yourself wishing you had more excuses to wear a tux!

The Black Tie Guide