Matthew Williamson Resort 2010 (Review)

I stumbled upon http://www.matthewwilliamson.com/collections.php when I was shopping at Net A Porter & found this gem (Spirograph pleated silk skirt £887.90)

I adore this piece because it's a beautiful eclectic mix of fluidity, gorgeous prints, an interesting texture and colours which give it a jewel effect. If only the fabric he used was fuller & a bit more lustrous - it would have been divine!

By-the-by, afterwards I checked out his Resort 2010 collection which is apparently inspired by the "DNA of his signature style" (PRLog). Given the statement I was quite disappointed overall with this collection because of the lack of continuity that emerged after the first five pieces which seemed to disrupt his work as a whole. Otherwise, I loved some of his beautiful prints (as per usual), the statement accessories & some drapery that was used.

(Images from style.com)

The first motif of the collection that he presented was the beautiful ombre that gave fabrics even more fluidity, contrasting with the strong nude statement shoes. Silhouettes were soft and made modern with volume created through pleats, draping and evenly-spaced tucks.

Although colour is definitely a strength of Williamson's, I found that his speckled use of contrasting brights among pastel and neutral hues shaped the Resort collection into being as diverse as it was disjunct. The orange-blue combinations just seemed too harsh in comparison with the kaleidoscopic, intricate prints that dominated his beautifully-styled outfits. Even the end of the collection, set up with a series of maxi dresses, seemed to lack the flamboyance and statement-ness that Williamson is most famous for.

What is note-worthy in this collection, however, are his more heavily-embellished accessories and continuum of brilliantly-designed fabrics. They give his outfits more strength as pieces themselves and a refreshing vibe that can only be provided from his technicoloured palette and eye for unique fabric treatments.

Overall I was impressed by some pieces, but didn't think that the order in which he presented his pieces worked for him as favourably as it could have been. My favourite? The first one (shown in the last image above) because it lets the fabric speak for itself =)

~Louis Tiffon