LOCATED beneath a railway track in Waterloo, Ashley Williams held her LFW SS19 collection in a tunnel. With music blasting from every direction, the first model strutted towards the audience wearing a white swimsuit with the words ‘Retired and loving it’ printed on it, a black mohair cardigan and her hair erected up into a ponytail that defied the laws of gravity.
Tie dye made a return for another season, in both bleached trousers, socks and turquoise sweatshirts – along with the reappearance of the crystal studded hair clips. Silk black shirts were accompanied with short patent cowboy boots and newspaper print shirts were styled with grass green and pink patterned straight leg trousers. Williams has always used patterns, whether they be abstract or common in her collections – this season was not an exception. Tiger print and the slogan Retired and Loving it were threaded through the collection to give the vibrancy and free-spirit that Williams is known for in her collections.
The collection came to a close with two three- quarter length dresses that had puff sleeves and a banded waist – one in a shiny newspaper print the other in black. Ending her collection on a simplistic note created a dramatic juxtaposition from her vibrant looks that were shown earlier on in the collection, proving that Williams is able to create both the eccentric and the classic.
by Imogen Clark