Daily Front Row

2010 February 22

Runway Reviews: Matthew Williamson, House of Holland

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Matthew Williamson Fall 2010
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(LONDON) Matthew Williamson
Williamson has come a long way from his early years, which were dictated by party dresses (and the starlets who wore them). Granted, Sienna Miller, Yasmin Le Bon, and Olivia Palerma took in his Fall 2010 collection from the front row—but so did 60-year-old Twiggy, who could have easily sported more than just the dress in heavy gray tweed and a matching, oversized ruffled jacket that opened the show. Inspired by the matador (“but never treading into costume,” the designer said later), Williamson’s collection had all the energy that he’s known for, but it was channeled into sophistication. Outerwear was a standout. Coats often came with a kind of cropped cape-like topper, achieving a fresh new play on proportion. Of course, for those front-row party girls, there was also plenty to choose from. A one-shouldered silk mini in a colorful print was classic Matthew, while solids in brilliant color pairings were winning, especially Abbey Lee’s bright marigold gown topped with a coral suede topper.

House of Holland
Henry Holland put himself on the map in 2007 with cheekily rhyming message tees (“Do Me in the Park Marc,” “Some Acid and Jazz Alber Elbaz”). For Fall, he revised the idea. This time around, acronyms splashed across tees and tops. The show was titled “CTFO It’s Only a Show”—that’s Chill the F*ck Out, loves—and each tee referenced Holland’s abbreviated vocabulary used on Twitter, Facebook, ad nauseum. KMT stood for "Kiss My Teeth," DFW was "Down for Whatever", and NALGO (which Holland wore backstage) stood for "Not A Lot Going On." Sure, the tees were styled with bandanna print pieces, shearling-lined coats, and even a bandage dress made from “House of Holland” printed elastic. But overall, the real message was almost excessively straightforward.