We’re 53 days into 2026 and it has rained every day. For Burberry’s Daniel Lee, atrocious weather is not an irritation, it’s an opportunity to showcase the heart and soul of a 170 year-old brand built on outerwear. His AW26 show was an ode to the coat, especially Burberry’s iconic trench. It was held at Old Billingsgate Market, against a deliberately unfinished set modelled on the nearby Tower Bridge. As a Central Saint Martins student, newly arrived from Yorkshire, just the sight of that landmark made him feel like he’d arrived somewhere special, he explained.

Lee played with the idea of the city as a work in progress, restless and unfinished “in construction,” he said, just like his set. His models took to a puddle-streaked catwalk on the latest evolution of his Burberry look. Lee summoned an ‘after dark’ mood envisaging his models heading out to a film premiere, charity gala, theatre opening night or a club.

London in the winter means wrapping up against the weather and outerwear was the star. Supple leather tench costs, quilted parkas, enveloping satin duvet coats came in rich inky blues and purples. Trenches proved the most versatile, bringing sleek daytime sophistication belted over leather joggers or stretching to nighttime glamour in midnight blue silk with lavishly ruffled collars. They came in house check, shearling, patchwork, sleek wool or soft leather; there were cropped trenches, embellished trenches and one spectacular leather version which had a map of London’s jumbled streets etched into its surface. No wonder Lee described the AW26 look as, “A little more sophisticated, dressier, cleaner or sleeker.” Ready for whatever the night may bring.

Photography courtesy of Burberry.

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