To recognize the 150th anniversary of British fashion label Burberry, Holt Renfrew Canada declared September to be Burberry month and threw a party in its honour. A trio of Holt Renfrew execs—Gwen Gibson, director of events; Tony Hosking, events manager; and Janet Eger, director of communications—planned the event, held at the retailer's flagship outlet on Bloor St. West. Nicholas Pinney, president of Nicholas Pinney Design, supplied design services.
Guests arriving in the foyer encountered male models from Elite, Ford, and Giovanni, posed on black pedestals and wearing only black briefs, white undershirts, and bearskin hats like those worn by British Foot Guards. The hint of British decor and black-and-white colour themes in the foyer were plainly evident on the second floor. White leather couches sat on black carpeting, and black prints of the Canadian and British flags decorated white accent pillows. Black lamps and black-and-white art pieces representing British currency topped high-back tables. A white Plexiglass bar with black corners occupied the centre of the space. A Union Jack printed on a clear acrylic panel hung above the bar. White daybeds on risers with light-cube end tables overlooked the DJ booth on the floor below.
The back wall of this level featured a large Union Jack with a number of small TV monitors from Westbury National Show Systems helping form the centre cross image. The monitors played loops of scenes from British sitcoms like AbFab and Coronation Street. The floor in front of the wall was a lit raised white platform. The design of the V.I.P. lounge paid tribute to London's underground network. A long print of the transit system decorated the wall, while a custom black runner spanning the length of the space suggested a subway train track. Pillows printed with the names of London subway stops like Oxford Circus and Charing Cross decorated a series of low-back charcoal couches. Angela Ahrendts, Burberry chief executive, and Christopher Bailey, the firm's creative director, attended the event.