Burberry's latest showcase of its September 2016 collection, a marked shift to a "see now buy now" approach was a grand affair with soaring live orchestral music, opera singers, an imposing new show venue complete with classical sculptures.

Flamboyant military coats, frilly high collars, rich velvet and brocade, and silky pyjamas layered under floral jackets, were ever-present for both gender designs, in a unified showcase for menswear and womenswear.

"I was looking for this idea of fluidity of gender, fluidity of travel, and I love the poetry in 'Orlando,'" explained Christopher Bailey, who was inspired by Virginia Woolf's novel "Orlando," whose hero is a poet who changes gender from man to woman.