Designer A-Z

Matthew Williamson

Spring/Summer 2012

By Emma Sells

Yesterday’s Matthew Williamson marked a first – never before had the Tate Modern allowed its Turbine Hall to turned into a fashion week venue, so it was with as much interest about how the venue would work as what the collection would look like that the fashion crowd descended upon the gallery.

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As ever Matthew’s loyal following of celebrity fans were in evidence – a dressed-down Sienna Miller, Poppy Delevigne, Dress Hemmingway and Rachel Zoe were all perched on the front row, presumably taken note of the beautiful worked evening dresses. Both full length and mini, they were covered by swirls of sequins and gently wafting feathers in burnt orange, yellow and pink, perfect if you need to make a statement on the red carpet.

But for those of us with more workaday requirements there were plenty of polished pieces to choose from – fluid silk shirt dresses that dropped to the floor covered in an ikat print, loose fitting trousers and simple shorts paired with printed blouses and stylishly tailored blazers, and skinny printed cigarette pants worn with chic cropped jackets. There were hints of the boho vibe that Matthew is so renowned for, a fringed bag here, an embroidered waistband there, but for the most part it was a polished and sophisticated affair, right down to the models’ luxe blow-outs and the towering heels whipped up by Charlotte Olympia.