Richard Lewis, the dress designer, hopped on to the Orient Express in search of glamour, opulence and the perfect kimono. Having turned his back on minimalism, his autumn collection is truly inspired, although he manages to avoid too much excess.
A series of little dresses, in partnership with matching fitted jackets or kimonos, is the story here, and it works. Dresses in red wool jersey, with long, tight sleeves, a dash of applique and a matching "throw" (£450), are typical of the style. And very fetching it is.
Daytime also has a fine boucle wool, edged with silk, and, in nut brown, an unlined poncho flung over matching brown sweater and trousers has definite dash. The oriental flavour is more pronounced in the dressier items, where matt jersey, beaded chiffons and crushed silks are used in hot spicy colours. Narrow sleeves give way to hugely wide ones, bound in contrasting colours, worn with tight bustiers and slim skirts which flute out at the ankle. With striking colours such as willow pattern blue, saffron and cherry red, it hardly needed Michael Leong's geisha hairstyles (beautiful though they were) to tell us where we were.
This collection, though very recognisably that of Richard Lewis, is full of character and original touches, especially in the clever handling of colour and the use of rich, heavy-to-handle fabrics. As always, the style is absolutely feminine, sophisticated and aimed at women who favour attention, indeed expect it.