Buffing Up British Heritage Brands Belstaff, Chris Moore/Karl Prouse Belstaff, by Martin Cooper; Jasper Conran; Aquascutum, by Joanna Sykes, autumn/winter 2012, in London. LONDON - The pattern of motorcycle tire tread artfully worked into leather and knit; tough biker jackets made luxurious for men and softened for women - Belstaff came back to its ancestral home for a new take on the storied brand. Heritage always has been a solid fashion story in London and reinvigorating famous brands is as British as reclaiming old oak furniture. The Belstaff presentation on Sunday was a taste of things to come, as townhouse stores on Bond Street in London and on Madison Avenue in New York are planned by Labelux Group with Harry Slatkin and Tommy Hilfiger, who bought the label last year. The owners are working with Charles Henry Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March, the aristocrat who owns the estate of Goodwood, famous as a multitrack sports area for racing horses and cars. The origins of the Belstaff revival can be traced to the global success of Burberry - not least because the designer Martin Cooper was enticed from that company. Mr. Slatkin, Belstaff's chief executive, says he wants to grow it as a luxury lifestyle brand, with subtle, intricate and often hidden details defining the label. Ultimately, he hopes for half its sales to be through its own retail outlets and half through other stores. Slouchy boyfriend sweaters with bike tread patterns, military pea coats and shearling for both sexes as impeccable outerwear tell a story of "stealth wealth." "The vision has to be strong enough, dynamic enough and compelling enough for people to want to buy it," Mr. Cooper said, explaining how energized he felt as a designer when he delved into Belstaff's origins from 1924 connected to speed, freedom and modernity. It is unjust to compare Daks with anything but its own heritage. Yet it was hard looking at the check coats, cut in bold egg shapes over calf-length dresses, without feeling a riposte from the designer Sheila McKain-Waid to Burberry and its skinny teen silhouette. But the strong outerwear - coats, jackets, all cut with a compass rather than a ruler - made a statement that got to the heart of the heritage. Evening dresses were of a different geometry than the egg-shaped corsets: long, lean, straight and with geometric patterns giving a 1920s vibe. Aquascutum is Latin for "water shield" - for those who needed a translation or had just stepped in from London's pouring rain. But in her urge to modernize the venerable brand, the designer Joanna Sykes went every which way but rain covers. Maybe her finely cut outerwear - two beautiful navy coats with full sleeves - were treated to be rainproof. Mostly the designer worked the fashionably plain, minimalist silhouette introduced by Céline, and by now a fashion cliché. Plain dresses, given a fillip with epaulettes disembodied from the traditional trench coat, might be good for the boardroom. But an umbrella as accessory would be de rigeur. Houses with a long past create heritages of their own. Jasper Conran has always channeled modern elegance, and this season he sent out a jewel of a collection - meaning that he added copper, gilt and metallic colors to his tailored shapes and put crystal sparkles everywhere from leather tops to triple-buckle shoes. The designer is one of the rare ones in London who prefer sharp cuts to print and decoration. Instead, a sculpted neckline on a camel dress created a graceful neckline - perfect to display a real jewel. Nicole Farhi "s mission is to create a contemporary wardrobe for a stylish woman. Blowing with the fashion wind, her collection was more minimal, more - dare we say it? - Céline; while the "off" colors at Lanvin and mixes of sparkling embellishment also suggested that influence. The result: A good collection for women to buy, but not a strong identity to create a footprint for the future.