The Tamesis
The group of 1920s British socialites who made up Bright Young Things, especially Stephen Tennant, were the starting point for Lee Mathews’ latest collection. “The idea of wearing a kilt and a puffy cable-knit sweater, coat and scarf, hanging out with all your radical friends,” said the designer, adding that she “fell down the rabbit hole of conspiracy.” This is a way to spruce up a season that Mathews often feels is dull compared to the brand’s upcoming Australian holiday season in May.
In this collection, Mathews aims to show the different identities that can exist within a wardrobe. “I really wanted these things to be almost unique, so it didn’t feel like it should be a collection—these were their own thing,” she said of the mix of silhouettes, which include everything from innovative outerwear to going-out tops. The looks featured few of her signature prints, but there were pops of color, including pastel greens and bright carrot oranges, in cozy wool knits created in collaboration with independent knitwear brand Frisson. These pieces are available in limited quantities.
Matthews has a formula that works for customers in the Northern Hemisphere as well as her loyal fans back home in Australia. But she also took the opportunity to enter new territory. She broke with personal tradition by highlighting a blazer paired with a matching skirt that subtly showed off the silhouette of a kilt. “I hope this goes well [so] “We can continue to use this lighter condiment that we haven’t done in the past,” she said. Matthews noted that the series is “definitely a stripped-down version of what we’ve done before, but maybe that’s the direction we’re headed.”
Matthews’ visual identity comes from a balance between exaggerated femininity and everyday practicality. This has made her a unique voice in Australian fashion for over two decades. But a closer look at the collection’s details—which included short balloon-skirted dresses and floaty sheer dresses in black and earthy browns—proved that her visual language was unmistakable, even when wiped clean.
