Industria Studios' sun-drenched interior was an unexpected location for Matthew Williamson's Spring show. Until now, he's been most closely identified with clothes made for the darker, wee hours. These days, though, he seems eager to expand his reputation. The thigh-grazing cashmere cardigan he paired with silk shorts and jacquard trousers is among the most elegant things onto which he's ever sewn his label. The same goes for his pencil skirts with snappy kick pleats in the back.
His metallic cotton jacket, vest, and skirt, on the other hand, were appropriate for neither boardroom nor Bungalow 8. But his silk dresses are bound to appear at the latter, perhaps on the backs of his front-row guests Padma Lakshmi and Helena Christensen. This season, they appeared in M.C. Escher and colorful honeycomb prints. There was a smidge too much Rajasthan in his embroidered vest and pearl-dusted heels, but Williamson knows that for his girls, the more beading the better. Among the handful of jewel-encrusted looks, the trompe l'oeil designs and a flapperish dress left the most lasting impressions.
