Closing London Fashion Week with typical bravura, Burberry transformed Old Billingsgate into a sweeping love letter to London after dark. Guests arrived to a postcard-perfect vista of Tower Bridge shimmering across the River Thames, a view echoed inside by a dramatic replica that cut diagonally through the vast Victorian hall, once the world’s largest fish market. British luminaries including Kate Moss and Lila Moss plus stars of Industry and Bridgerton made their way to their seats beneath the iconic bascule bridges and Gothic towers, stepping across resin puddles. When the lights twinkled on and a bass-heavy FKA Twigs soundtrack began to pulse, the mood was unmistakable: if last season saluted festival fields, fall 2026 belongs to the British capital’s high-gloss nightlife.
In sensuous, buttery-soft black plongé leather and rich jewel tones of ink blue, burgundy, and plum, Daniel Lee’s eveningwear-centric lineup offered a wealth of enticing options for dancing the night away in the subterranean boîte of one of London’s many members’ clubs (such as the red-velvet Music Room at the Twenty Two, which hosted the after party). Classic wrap and bias-cut dresses in fluid satin were accented with playful scarves, fringing, and embroidered tassels that practically demanded a spin on the dance floor. Hand-knit dresses glimmered with thousands of beads and sequins, while Art Deco bugle-bead embroidery cascaded down flapper-esque tabard dresses and fluid trousers, catching the light with every step.
Of course, this being Burberry, the house that invented the trench coat, outerwear was never far from the spotlight. Trench details like belted cuffs, throat latches, and epaulettes threaded through the collection, popping up not just on coats but also rib-knit dresses and brushed mohair hoodies. Lee worked tactile magic across the fur-free lineup, showing inventive shearlings in both raw-edge and Burberry check intarsia finishes, while utilitarian staples like bombers and raincoats were dressed up in smooth lambskin leather. He also made a convincing case for the going-out trench, crafted in pleated silk poplin or ruffled-collar silk faille. These are layers so gorgeous you won’t want to part with them at coat check.
