Burberry: Drab, Nearly Dreary (Fashion Wire Daily)

Milan - Theres a hemline theory of economic cycles on Wall Street which predicts the severity of recessions by how much skirts rise above the knee, a curious method given the financial districts macho culture and historical domination by men. Why analysts dont attempt foretell the future by watching mens collections is something of an anomaly, especially after attending the Burberry spring mens collection in Milan, a drab affair of muddy colors, featuring young lads who appeared to have retreated to the country after their losing their jobs in town.

The whole affair was an abrupt about turn from recent seasons, where the UK labels creative director Christopher Bailey has filled his runway with shiny finishes, posh aristocrat military dandies, metallic trims and colors. On Saturday, the opening day of shows in the Italian mens wear spring 2009 season, the collection he showed featured askew cashmere sweaters, deliberately badly ironed and crumpled jackets of guys whose career straits had forced them to lay off their cleaning lady.

To be fair, it was gutsy of Bailey to take Burberry on a new direction, even if his radical change of gears did not come without a loud clash.

Most of the curly haired models looked like the gentleman farmers, though mostly the younger brothers who did not inherit the estate. The setting also felt far sadder. Where once Bailey had golden invitations, and runways showered in gold glitter, this season the invite and backdrop was a sad, flat gray.

Baileys silhouette was consistent; tight sleeves, short lengths but bulky torsos; but the feeling was far more downbeat. Recent Burberry ad campaigns by Mario Testino feted cool aristocrats in black and white St Pepper military gear. This collection felt ideal for a film version of "On Black Hills."

Worst of all, for tea diviners of economic change Saturdays scene at Burberry seem to prefigure several lean years ahead, where surviving not consuming would be the main goal.