Suddenly front row at Burberry in Los Angeles

Laura Kemp is a journalist and occasionally hosts events ‘in Amsterdam’. Coincidentally, she is dating the quite successful British artist Benjamin Clementine. And that brought her this weekend on a plane with Kim and Kanye and in the front row at Burberry with Cara. Read for yourself, she tells you everything.

Last Thursday mister Burberry, Christopher Bailey and his team, organized a grand show in Los Angeles with the theme ‘London meets LA.’ A festive tribute to these two world cities with art, the F/W-collection and British musicians. The timing of this event was perfect, as a new Burberry shop had just opened on Rodeo Drive. Since Bailey is a fan of my British boyfriend Benjamin Clementine, he was asked to perform during the show. I was allowed to come along as introducee.. A smart girl is prepared for everything, so I had business cards printed that I could generously hand out to the stars. My initials are L.A., so that couldn't be missed.

We departed from Paris and I had slept rather poorly. The morning started off quite clumsily. In all haste, I decided to quickly shave my legs. When I put on my long travel dress, it was stained with a big blood spot from my ankle. Cold water on my dress then. Nice. There was no time to the dress too let it dry, as the tour manager was already calling our hotel room to ask where we were.. We had to hurry to the airport.

For the first time in my life, I flew first class. Ignorance was bliss, as I had never fantasized for a second about traveling first class and thus had never felt bad about not doing it. But unfortunately, that ignorance is now forever gone. What a difference... Skipping the lines, nice food, and sleeping well. Just as I had plopped down in my seat, or rather ‘bed’, I saw three very familiar faces step into the plane. Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and little North! Since I was literally sitting next to them , I thought it was rude to take a photo. I do have proof, a blurry shot, but they are the real. Welcome to Los Angeles...

Outside in LA, I was immediately embracedd by the clammy heat. Long lines of taxis. We were picked up by a nervous British girl; the music manager of Burberry who kept emphasizing how ’tight’ our ‘schedule’ was. No time to freshen up, we had to get into the taxi right away, heading to the show location; the Griffith Observatory Center. Griffith Observatory is a famous astronomy center of waarfrom where you can beautifully look at the stars. The building is also fantastic and sits on a hill in the south of Los Angeles with a view of the city and De Hollywood Sign.

We were escorted to an artist caravan. This was located on the grounds surrounding the Griffith Observatory. We were next to Tom Odell's caravan, who would also perform during the show,

what a sweet guy! We didn't have much time to chat, as we were already called for the soundcheck. Once inside, we walked past many models, stylists, and makeup artists. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to take photos. During the soundcheck, I had to make do with my eyes and without the flash of my iPhone. Christopher Bailey was walking around, gave me two big kisses, but was clearly too busy to talk extensively. I went front row and in front of me, the models began their practice rounds. They were corrected with an iron hand by the Italian model coach Gabriela. A small lady that strictly ensured they walked upright and moved in the right rhythm and “oops”, I secretly took these two photos.

After the soundcheck, we went back to the van and there were four Burberry dresses ready for me, of which I chose the beige one. Makeup was arranged by Kristen. The artists (and thus also my boyfriend) were whisked away and had to go back to the building. I had to wait a bit longer. The twilight fell and it was time for me to make my entrance. I took a deep breath and walked down the path to the Griffith Observatory. From then on, everything went very quickly. Murmurs, huge limousines driving up the hill, flashing cameras everywhere. I walked inside and the number of superstars was simply uncountable. Front row: Mila Kunis, David and Victoria Beckham with the children. Anna Wintour next to them. Mila Kunis, Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse, Rachel Zoe, Kate Beckinsale, Rose Byrne, James Corden, January Jones, Ryan Seacrest, Sir Elton John. On the seats lay Burberry shawls with the initials of the guests. Here is one of Victoria Beckham.

The show was insane. The interplay between the music (George Ezra, Tom Odell, Claire Maguire, and Benjamin Clementine), the decor, and the models worked fantastically. When Naomi Campbell closed the show, she received a standing ovation. I thought this was the finale, but I was wrong. As a final surprise, soldiers from the English army with drums came onto the catwalk. They were specially flown in by Christopher Bailey with the question of whether they ‘felt like something fun’. We were asked to walk behind the soldiers, over the catwalk to the outside. Here the after began.

Yes! Here I managed to speak to Christopher Bailey for a moment. It is clear that he with Burberry, he wants to create not just a clothing line, but really a feeling. He is a proud Englishman and a great lover of Los Angeles. He has managed to mix these two aspects fantastically in his show. This is what I learned: “English culture is popular in Los Angeles. There is a large British community and Americans have always felt connected to England. We fit well together. With that feeling, you can be very creative in putting on a show. Christopher wanted to play with the “fun”, but also with the “boringness” of English culture. “We must be able to celebrate both sides.” Bailey considers authenticity the most important value of the Burberry brand. And that can be  bohemian and luxury at the same time. “I play with contrasts, it has to fit together but it shouldn't be too safe.”

Bailey was already pulled at his shoulder and my mini-interview was over. I took another round over the hill and had such a good time with Naomi and Cara that I completely forgot to give my business card. While I looked at the illuminated Hollywood Sign, I thought for a moment about home and my next mission: making sure Burberry comes to the Netherlands with a show: London meets Amsterdam. Who will help with gathering signatures?

Text: Laura Kemp