Lee Mathews Australia Resort 2027 Collection

Much like a sentence, there’s an art to constructing a runway show. Its flow, its stylization, and, some might argue, most importantly, its length. Too few looks can feel abrupt, pointless even; too many, and you lose people to checking their emails before the last look hits the runway. But 24? What a wonderfully succinct sentiment.

Such was the case inside Anibou Furniture, where Lee Mathews presented a serene and tightly-edited resort 2027 runway show. Somewhat untraditionally, the collection began with the space: the store is a well-known Australian beacon of mid-century modern design. Its Finnish offerings led the designer to the modernist works of Helene Schjerfbeck, whose often soft color palette mixed with the exacting methods of Nordic design. Both, then, manifested in the almost total neutral shades that mingled with geometric touches such as exposed stitching and contrasting pockets across uniform-like designs. A little extra oomph was added with gathered fabric at the hip, which gave a gentle drape to a shift dress, or a lovely drizzle of ruffles down the front of a lacy gown.

“I just don’t want to do ‘runway’ things anymore,” said Mathews, who celebrated her eponymous label’s 25th anniversary last year. “The context gets lost. But then, [this collection] had to be honest materials, and that had to be honestly constructed, and that meant you had to see how everything is made,” she added, referring to how many of the pieces featured exposed stitching and raw hems. That mix of the humble uniform made from ultra-feminine fabrics provided a lovely, confident tension. There was a feeling that after a quarter century, a designer can (and should) feel more assured. In Mathews’ own words: “That’s why I’m just doing what I want.”