OTK Boots, Velvet, and A-Listers Galore: Why Daniel Lee's Burberry Is Stronger Than Ever

Daniel Lee is officially hitting his stride at Burberry. The designer has been leading the iconic British label into a new chapter since his arrival as creative director in 2022. Since then, he's remixed house classics and subverted motifs of British fashion in a way that has brought new energy—and buzz—to the storied house. His winter 2025 collection served as the finale for London Fashion Week, closing out the week's shows with a runway staged at the Tate Britain.

Quintessential British style was a strong theme throughout the collection as Lee referenced the idea of spending a weekend away in the countryside and envisioned the wardrobe that goes along with it. Away from the city, a pair of riding boots and jodhpur trousers aren't merely aesthetic choices. They're functional too, as equestrian pursuits and other outdoorsy excursions feature heavily on any itinerary for a country escape. In fact, the designer cited a deliberate tension between indoor and outdoor life as a source of inspiration, and it resulted in elements like the velvet brocade jackets that replicate flocked wallpaper.

Elegant new iterations on the trench coat as well as over-the-knee boots that could signal the shoe trend's return this fall are just a few of the other takeaways that have the fashion set buzzing about Lee's evolution. Ahead, read our full breakdown of Burberry fall/winter 2025.

Celebrities On and Off the Runway

Nobody brings out an impressive A-list crowd like Burberry does, and its latest runway show hardly wavered from its reputation. Season after season, it's reliably been the backdrop to the most exciting celebrity appearances of London Fashion Week, and this season delivered all the same, although the most talked-about sightings happened on the runway. Lila Moss walked in a floral A-line skirt set, and Naomi Campbell donned a fringed printed trench coat that blurred the line between outerwear and eveningwear. The front row was similarly stacked with familiar Brits and non-Brits alike, including Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Princess Maria-Olympia.

Pictured: Naomi Campbell

Pictured: Lila Moss

Pictured: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Thigh-High Boots Are So Back

Well, well, well, if it isn't the revival of thigh-high boots. Per the show's equestrian overtones, there were three standout looks featuring leather boots that crept well over the knee—a boot silhouette that's been absent from the trend cycle for long enough that it feels overdue for a return. Considering that Khaite also showed over-the-knee boots on the runway this season, we're already earmarking the style as hero shoes of fall 2025. At Burberry, they were styled with equestrian jodhpur leggings and cropped, high-neck jackets that felt like a delightfully approachable way to wear them.

The Key Buy? A Burberry Metal-Clasp Belt

Since shoppability (is that a word?) is always top of mind at Who What Wear, we instantly spotted the item that will be filling the carts of the fashion set as soon as fall hits. It was a belt but not just any belt. It was a sleek black leather one that was finished with a metal clasp and hooked around varying ensembles. Burberry styled it with an oxblood-hued fringe dress, atop a plaid coat with a matching scarf tucked delightfully into the belt, and over a billowing silk blouse, proving just how outfit making the piece can be and filling our fashion-editor minds with endless ways to wear it.

Here's Where Outerwear Is Heading

There's nothing more quintessentially British than a trench coat, and Lee's tenure at Burberry has been defined by his experimentation with the outerwear classic. In his debut collection, that looked like oversize shapes with faux fur–trimmed lapels, and for fall/winter 2025, trench coats arrived in hushed tones like camel and black cherry and finishes like embossed leather, patchwork shearling, and jacquard weave that feel undeniably elegant and mature. As Burberry is perennially a leader in the outerwear space, these coats are already hinting at the direction the trends are heading in next season, and we'd all be wise to take notes.

Luxe Velvet Finishes

Last but certainly not least were the deliciously luxurious velvet looks that punctuated the collection. In Lee's vision of the perfect autumnal wardrobe, velvet should be front and center. Long overlooked as a holiday-dressing trope, velvet has been quietly on a comeback tour, so the arrival of several looks is putting a lot of wind in the fabric's sails, so to speak.