Arizona's arid, cactus-filled landscape was the starting point for Matthew Williamson's Resort collection. Palm leaves appeared on just about every look, including a silky T-shirt, a pleated chiffon gown, and a cocoon dress with dropped shoulders—a new shape for the designer. The colors, too, had a Southwestern feel, evoking a burnished sunset or the clay-red mountains outside Phoenix. "There is a real sense of adventure and freedom about the place," Williamson said.
He made it his own by weaving in vivid blues—an MW signature—and also adding rich, but not too rich, embroideries, done in raffia and matte beading rather than the usual sparkly bits. A great dress in the aforementioned cocoon shape—decorated with a subtly adorned blue and cream palm print—defined the collection. Williamson's woman still loves a bohemian look, but only if it's done in a modern way.
