Tonight:
4°c
CAN it really be true that Matthew Williamson hails from Manchester? So American was his collection for autumn 2009 that you would think he had been born and bred there.
But then, when you have just opened a lavish 2,600sq.ft store in Manhattan's fashionable meatpacking district, it pays to focus on your American market.
More pictures from the show here
Williamson's new store, complete with VIP room and tropical garden, opened only three days ago - a brave move when other stores are closing. The troubled Icelandic investment firm, Baugur, has a significant share in the Matthew Williamson brand.
Eschewing the hippy boho look which has always been his trademark, Williamson sent out a more refined collection than usual, pitching his business at a grown-up clientele. Colours were upbeat - orange, gold and teal- anchored by more muted creams and browns. Knits featured heavily, running the gamut from skinny rib, such as a belted orange cardigan, to chunky. A beige bobble-knit sweater dress with fur insets was one of the less successful pieces in the show.
Other options for day included leather drainpipe trousers worn with loose, baggy knits, fine-knit twinsets with iridescent tulip-shaped skirts or fitted mini dresses in a black and white zig-zag weave. Coat-wise, it was a case of "fur with everything", with shaggy fox featuring heavily as a hood lining, a neck warmer or as a tail hanging off a messenger bag.
For evening, a cream shift dress came with a beaded and embroidered yoke, while a floor length column dress was in a monochrome Spirograph print. There was a slim-fit trouser-suit in iridescent silk as shiny as a butterfly wing. A sequined mini in teal and gold, as well as a bolero of multi-coloured shredded silk, proved Williamson - soon to design for H&M - hadn't left his boho roots behind entirely - only his Mancunian ones.
