Burton had worked under the label’s founder,Lee McQueen,for more than 14 years before hisuntimely death in February 2010,and was appointed as his successor that May. She is credited for successfully continuing his design legacy,adapting the house’s darkly romantic codes to suit a new generation of fans – including bringing in the princess as a star client.
Despite being kind and chatty backstage at her shows,she rarely gave formal interviews and shied away from the spotlight that so many other designers chase. In a 2014 interview withThe Telegraph,Burton was asked whether she had any interest in being a “star designer” and confessed that she hadn’t ever actually wanted the job of fronting a fashion house.
“There have been times when,if I could have disappeared from this industry,I would have,” she admitted. “I had to battle with it. I don’t look like a fashion person,I’m not cool,and I always just loved people who are good at what they do.”
Burton was famously discreet,and therefore closely trusted by her most famous clients.
“I know we live in a culture obsessed with fame,” she toldThe Telegraph of the commission of a lifetime,making the dress Kate wore to marry Prince William in 2011. “But I happen to believe privacy is a virtue,and the relationship I have with my clients is private. I loved making the dress,I loved adapting my ideas to suit the person and the occasion,and we put our hearts into it. I respect the intimate nature of that lovely project and I respect the friendships that were forged during it.”
Beyond the princess,Burton has dressed stars from Cate Blanchett to Nicole Kidman for red carpet events. Her awards include the British Fashion Council’s Designer of the Year,in 2011,and an OBE for services to fashion in the late Queen’s 2012 Birthday Honours.