"I don't like the expression comfort zone," said Matthew Williamson at his Resort 2015 presentation. "The phrase implies the lack of an appetite for new ideas or that you're just plain lazy—and we are anything but." Williamson mentioned this because Resort marked a return to his boho roots after a few seasons of a more "working woman" vibe, which paid off commercially but was jarring to some of his loyal customers.
To be sure, whoever coined the term resort could have done so for Williamson, since holiday and lightness are always at his core. A highlight of the first part of the collection was a jumpsuit featuring broad pink brushstrokes against a creamy white background. The print was hand-painted, then finished off on a computer. It achieved Williamson's goal of being sweet, innocent, and exciting at the same time. Other standouts included a baby-blue knitted viscose jersey top with a raised snake-like pattern paired with a wonderfully light floral miniskirt. A butterfly-lace dress in a "toxic lime green" felt fresh and desirable. A baby-blue silk dress, hand-beaded in a butterfly pattern, had very special layered and fluted sleeves. It looked simple but was certainly not. Said Williamson: "It takes heaps of effort to make something look effortless. The simpler it looks, the harder it is to create."
The showpieces were the beaded evening gowns at the end. They combined high-octane, full-throttle glamour with a fine attention to detail in the form of linear layers of ostrich feathers, jacquard strips, and beads. "It's all hand-stitched in India," said Williamson, "we have no machines there." As far as evening gowns go, that sounds pretty boho.
