The sheer amount of star power in Burberry's front rows always makes me do a double take. This time around, I thought the Fall 2026 celebrity guest list included Diana Ross in a disco dress and fur coat straight out of the '70s. Upon further inspection, it was actually Jodie Turner-Smith doing her "Queen of Motown" impression on the final night of London Fashion Week.
Before finding her seat in the dimly-lit front row, the model and actress posed in front of Old Billingsgate on the River Thames. She shined brighter than the London Bridge in Look 31 from Burberry's Spring 2026 collection, with help from image architect Law Roach's unexpected styling. Her thigh-grazing shift mirrored a dance floor disco ball—but it wasn't actually a mini dress. Rather, the piece she layered like a true '70s diva under a black fur coat was originally advertised as a going-out top.
Over-the-knee, block-heel leather boots added some grit to Turner-Smith's glossy mirrorball dress. In addition to a bombshell blowout and mixed-metal, double hoop earrings, Turner-Smith also added dimension with a fringed Burberry bag. Its bottomless, top-flap body stood out amongst a sea of the front row's itty-bitty plaid clutches.
There's a chance Turner-Smith began planning her Burberry Fall 2026 pick at the Spring 2026 show. (She scored an invite to the Sept. 2025 presentation, too.) Last fall, the mirror-topped mini debuted as an elongated tunic on top of plaid culotte-like pants. Mismatched button-looking grommets lined each cropped leg's hem, boosting the outfit's original punk-rock aura. High-vamp flip-flops only amplified the renegade energy.
As a brand ambassador, Turner-Smith hasn't missed a Burberry runway show since February 2024. Each RSVP grants her access to lead designer Daniel Lee's latest collection. Last September, she was free to take creative liberties with Look 53 from the Fall 2025 show. Her changes came in the form of accessories. For instance, she stacked two contrasting belts on top of the zebra-print maxi dress, while the original runway look was entirely belt-free. Finishing, '50s-inspired touches included Burberry's Arc Knight Bag and sculptural slick-back bangs.
Turner-Smith couldn't help but stand out in Burberry's front row. Trench-adjacent outerwear was the unofficial dress code followed by every other guest at the Fall 2026 show. Everyone from Simone Ashley and Alexa Chung to Daisy Edgar-Jones and Myha'la sourced the Spring 2026 collection that debuted last season.
Like Turner-Smith, the original runway look was but a springboard for their styling choices. On the Spring 2026 catwalk, Chung and Ashley's leather trenches might've just been the top layer. At the Fall 2026 show, the coat was the outfit: a fail-safe hack for London Fashion Week dressing (especially in February).
