For Spring 2009, Lee Mathews found inspiration in Sir Sidney Robert Nolan’s collection of Ned Kelly paintings. Seemingly ironic that the designer would reference the works of one of Australia’s most famous painters of arguably the nation’s most infamous outlaw for her womenswear range. The presentation of 39 looks unveiled on opening day of Rosemount Australia Fashion Week was founded on a theme common amongst many collections in recent seasons—juxtaposition. With the infectious Rolling Stones anthem “Under my Thumb” ushering out the new collection; we saw delicate, sheer chiffons paired with slouchier cardigans, cargo pants, and metallics.

Under my thumb
The girl who once had me down
Under my thumb
The girl who once pushed me around

It’s down to me
The difference in the clothes she wears
Down to me, the change has come,
She’s under my thumb

According to her biography, Lee Matthews opened her debut flagship workroom in Newport, Sydney in 2002 where she begun to create her distinctive clothing collection. 2005 saw the opening of a Melbourne store on High Street in Armadale and in 2006, the opening of Lee Matthews' second Sydney store on Oxford Street in Woollahra, which features her complete collection of clothing, homewares, and fragrance. With a truly unique Australian aesthetic, weaving modernity with antiquity, Lee Matthews Workroom ignores conventions to create a contemporary beauty. No detail is too small for Ms. Matthews, who fills her stores with exquisite pieces hand-finished by her team of seamstresses. Each season garments are hand-dyed or printed to one of Lee’s exclusive designs, each piece stands alone. As her swing tag says, “This garment is hand-finished and each piece is unique. Any irregularity in print, finish, or color is deliberate.”

Having established her fashion credentials starting first as an illustrator at Vogue Australia  then Art Director at Vogue Entertaining & Travel, Lee Matthews then moved on to designing for labels such as Country Road and Marcs. Since starting her eponymous label, Ms. Matthews has not only gained the respect of the local fashion media, but also a loyal following amongst Sydney’s creative industry, local celebrities, and the who’s who of the fashion crowd. Lee Matthews is stocked in more than 20 luxury boutiques in Australia as well as 12 locations worldwide.

My favorite pieces from the Lee Matthews Spring 2009 Collection included: a white ruffled blouse with cropped motorcycle-style jacket atop silver leggings; an abstract brushstroke print ruffled silk chiffon print dress with necktie; a navy hooded jumper; a soft yellow belted sundress atop grey shorts; a white and silver striped sequined dress; and a navy ruffled jacket layered over a white blouse silver tapered pant.

The windswept hair and soft makeup with just a hint a berry-stained lip further exemplified that adventurous spirit of the Lee Matthews customer who is feminine without being too girly. From the ruffled chiffon dress with a black and brown painterly print to the overtly feminine white blouses paired with cropped jackets and sexier, edgier skinny silver pants, or the classic trench coat delicately reinterpreted in linen, softened design details helped reign in the outlaw inspiration. This collection allows a woman to summon her inner feistiness with a hint of flirtatiousness, because you don’t have to sacrifice your femininity when you want to feel a little tougher and even the most relaxed styles can still be softened. Just like a painter blends and smudges the colors on her canvas, Lee Matthews has found a way to blur the lines of soft and hard.

For more information, please visit, http://www.leemathews.com.au/