This morning I sploshed through the rain to Skylight Studios in SoHo, where Burberry Prorsum’s Autumn/Winter 2010 fashion show was being live-streamed from the London catwalk.
After a glass of Buck’s Fizz (the Brit Mimosa) and a mini smoked salmon sandwich, I took a pew in front of Vogue’s Hamish Bowles and Tom Florio, put on the 3D glasses I’d been given at the door, and settled down to watch the screening while fashion types in Dubai, Paris and Tokyo did the same, and thousands logged in online.
An amiable chap in a Burberry trench interviewed various front rowers (cue tittering from Tom et al. when Anna Wintour appeared on screen, and guffawing when Mary Kate Olsen loomed not so large and refused to make the requisite small talk), and creative director Christopher Bailey said a few words about the collection.
Eventually, we saw the London audience take their seats, and the preamble gave way to the real show, sylphs striding the runway in voluminous shearling jackets, military-style trenches, bandage tops and beautifully-tailored navy coats—classic, wearable Burberry. The live stream was an extremely impressive marketing feat, and one that might actually reap financial rewards: you can pre-order the looks online now.
So how did it compare to a real, live fashion show? I’d been at Skylight Studios five days before for the A/W Ralph Lauren Collection, the brand that is to America what Burberry is to Britain.
As a performance, Ralph Lauren rivaled anything I’ve seen on stage, from the shuffling around in the cold outside while the paps did their thing, to Anna donning those impenetrable shades as the mods, clad in a luxe take on gypsy chic (ruffles, tweed, fur, and lace) walked to a booming Billie Jean remix, to watching Ralph, in a tight black tee, embrace his fam and select VIPs after the finale as tradition dictates.
In terms of reaching eyeballs, Burberry won hands-down (you can now see Ralph Lauren's here), and it was exciting to be at the forefront of a new, virtual, fashion age. But a live stream can't recreate the energy and thrill of a live show: as an experience, there’s no substitute for being there.
Eventually, we saw the London audience take their seats, and the preamble gave way to the real show, sylphs striding the runway in voluminous shearling jackets, military-style trenches, bandage tops and beautifully-tailored navy coats—classic, wearable Burberry. The live stream was an extremely impressive marketing feat, and one that might actually reap financial rewards: you can pre-order the looks online now.
So how did it compare to a real, live fashion show? I’d been at Skylight Studios five days before for the A/W Ralph Lauren Collection, the brand that is to America what Burberry is to Britain.
As a performance, Ralph Lauren rivaled anything I’ve seen on stage, from the shuffling around in the cold outside while the paps did their thing, to Anna donning those impenetrable shades as the mods, clad in a luxe take on gypsy chic (ruffles, tweed, fur, and lace) walked to a booming Billie Jean remix, to watching Ralph, in a tight black tee, embrace his fam and select VIPs after the finale as tradition dictates.
In terms of reaching eyeballs, Burberry won hands-down (you can now see Ralph Lauren's here), and it was exciting to be at the forefront of a new, virtual, fashion age. But a live stream can't recreate the energy and thrill of a live show: as an experience, there’s no substitute for being there.
Leave a comment