Matthew Williamson, Fashion Designer

               

Yesterday, September, 17th, 4:11 p.m.

Matthew Williamson’s casting at the Metropolitan hotel and he’s bored. After fifteen years in it, he’s all ready to go for the show. “We’re organized beyond all belief, double-triple checking. Models are 90% booked,” he says. Abby Lee Kershaw’s on board, as is Dree Hemingway, who’s walking exclusively for her friend, likely wearing a rust silk jumpsuit and the finale dress. Lykke Li and Snow Patrol will be on the soundtrack and the clothes will have digital patterns that bleed into ikats and Tokyo landscapes hidden within flowers. It’s tropical, but Williamson has one thing he wants to make clear up front. “The collection’s not necessarily about Ibiza, which has come up in nine out of ten past reviews,” says the designer. “It’s there for the most part because the person writing them wants to annoy me. It’s a distant sloppy cliché. I’ve been there like three times and don’t like it anyway.” There are fifty pairs of colorful Charlotte Olympia shoes lined up on the floor. Williamson’s showed in nearly every city (New York, Milan, for Pucci), but likes London best. “I can go home to bed at night,” he says laughing. “Now with Tom (Ford) and Burberry, the spotlight’s back. It’s not just about the next new thing. Well, it will always be, but it’s also about sustainable business and growth.”