By Erin Moonyeen Haley
Their faces appear like the cosmopolitan relatives one sees only once a year, for they are too busy galavanting the globe, living the vagabond dream life. But, when they grace the family Christmas party at last with their presence, it’s with the chic nonchalance of an A-list cameo, complete with the cultivated style that the whole family drools over.
For the Holiday Season 2022, Burberry - a line that has never shied away from using famous faces such as Cara Delevingne, Kate Moss and Emma Watson - has captured Shakira and Burna Boy for its campaign. In the video entitled “The Night Before”,
Shakira gushes over the newness of the experience, citing the top-to-bottom creativity that manifests in an advertisement that delivers a narrative as much as a product. In one scene she’s striding across a table in lieu of an official runway; in another, she's pirouetting while books, violins and flowers in pewter vases bob around her in a posh psychedelic dreamscape.
Remembering that Shakira is from Columbia - the place that nurtured magical realism to its full, whimsically quirky potential - the mix of the everyday with the fantastical no doubt appealed to the award-winning singer, as is evident by her insistence that she forever associates Christmas with magic.
In photographs by Torso, (who also directed the video), the Dónde Están los Ladrones? singer wears a nude chiffon gown last seen on Lila Moss at her Met Gala debut.
With a genie-in-a-bottle style ponytail, the gown’s sequins fit every curve, creating a draping look without unnecessary weight.
When asked what she believes Burberry is synonymous with, the singer cites its elegance and simplicity, something easily seen in her naked dress photo as well as in the photo depicting her in knee-high boots and the eponymous Burberry house check coat draped over her shoulders in the typical New Yorker hurried-but-not-harried look. She is also seen clutching a bag with the same Burberry plaid print
Nigerian-born Burna Boy also balances sophistication with playfulness in the Christmas campaign. While wearing the quilted nova check jacket, Burna Boy sports black angel wings as he traipses through the snow.
Images courtesy of Vogue
The ambitious campaign that mixes imaginary with realism comes on the heels of Burberry reporting sky-high revenues and higher-than-anticipated profits for the 2021-22 year. With such optimistic numbers, it is no wonder the luxury company is feeling giddy as it heads into the holiday season.
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