The Burberry London show is a successful demonstration of its firepower

The Burberry show may not have been quite the triumphant moment of upbeat glamor that had been planned for London Fashion Week this season, but it was a show success of its firepower.

< p class="dcr-kpil6a">When Britain's biggest luxury brand quickly postponed its post-pandemic return to the calendar as a mark of respect after the death of the Queen , Burberry's first Saturday slot turned into a Monday sandwiched between Milan and Paris fashion weeks.

Rather than taking place at a landmark in central London – logistically impossible as the capital prepared for the royal funeral – the postponed show has been moved to a warehouse in Bermondsey, south London.

Nevertheless, the show showcased the strength of Burberry. Kanye West and Stormzy clapped in the front row, while models Naomi Campbell and Bella Hadid performed on the catwalk.

At the center of the industrial-sized room a shed, a piece of music commissioned by composer Paul Mealor, longtime conductor of the choir at Crathie Kirk Church in Balmoral, where Queen Elizabeth II frequently attended services, was performed by soprano Nadine Sierra and the London Contemporary Orchestra, dressed in black baseball caps bearing the Thomas Burberry TB monogram.

It was an untimely delay for Burberry, with an extra week gossip at the forefront of industry rumours.

< p class="dcr-kpil6a">The contract signed by Riccardo Tisci when he was appointed five years ago, after a long and successful tenure as Christopher Bailey, who put Burberry back on the fashion map, is about to expire.

Tisci's was a respectable round, bringing an edge and an all-important young audience to a brand that had been criticized for being predictable. It also kept the Burberry show on the road during a tough time for a brand more dependent than many of its rivals on customers in China, where extended shutdowns have hit profits hard.

But with a changing of the guard in the Burberry boardroom — Marco Gobbetti, the chief executive who brought Tisci to Burberry, has been replaced by Versace alum Jonathan Akeroyd — Tisci's reign may be coming to an end. end. The name of Daniel Lee, the young British designer whose brief stint at Bottega Veneta showed him that he knew how to win with an it bag, has been associated with the house.

Tisci's critics say he failed to capitalize on the opportunity Burberry has to be Britain's first heritage luxury house, and that sense of disconnect has taken on a dissonant note. Burberry described the collection as taking inspiration from the British seaside. But the references to beach life in the clothing – oversized shark earrings dangling from a rhinestone fish hook, Velcro-fastening sandals inspired by surfboard straps – looked more like a tropical island than a deckchair and a beach hut.

Tisci's own design signatures stood out. Her fingerprints were all over the place in the very gothic Victorian style of long, intricate lace dresses and the bold, surreal streetwear of inflatable backpacks and garish sweatshirts.