Burberry launching exclusive L.A. runway collection

British luxury brand Burberry will be bringing out the stars Thursday night at the Griffith Observatory for its “London in Los Angeles” runway show and garden party.

Hosted by Burberry Chief Executive Christopher Bailey, the event is expected to be attended by nearly 500 guests from the fashion, music, film and tech worlds (former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts is senior vice president of retail at Apple).

To mark the occasion, Bailey has designed an exclusive collection of red-carpet-ready evening wear for men and women that will be previewed during the runway show.

For women, there will be 35 floor-length tulle dresses with cut-out waistcoats and silk thread embroidery (inspired by California icons and British weather, which we could use some more of in dry Los Angeles). And for men, there will be 13 slim-fit velvet tuxedos with grosgrain details.

The collection will be available in limited quantities at Burberry’s Rodeo Drive flagship by appointment starting Saturday.

Burberry has up-and-coming British acts Tom Odell, Benjamin Clementine and Clare Maguire scheduled to perform Thursday evening, and there will be other nods to Britishness, including set design and cocktails. In the spirit of the celebration, Burberry is partnering with the L.A. nonprofit Friends of the Observatory on two years of funded projects.

The bash is a culmination of months of L.A. focus for Burberry. Keyed to the opening of the brand’s first Rodeo Drive store in November, Burberry received the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award and released an L.A.-themed Art of the Trench social media campaign featuring iPhone-portraits of tastemakers from the local creative class, including BAFTA Los Angeles Chairman Nigel Daly, Hammer Museum Director Ann Philbin and skateboarder/model Ben Nordberg — all dressed in Burberry.