Lee Mathews’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection unfolds as a serene meditation on memory and renewal – a gentle act of looking back to move forward. Following last season’s 25th anniversary show, defined by its reflective purity, this chapter feels warmer, more human, and intimately personal. Shot in diffused natural light, the lookbook captures a designer returning to the essence of her craft quietly, thoughtfully, and with renewed color.

Described by Mathews as “digging through the linen cupboard”, the collection’s foundation lies in rediscovery. Her daughter, Matilda, played muse and collaborator, sourcing vintage Lee Mathews pieces from resale platforms to build what they fondly call their “magic cupboard”. This intergenerational dialogue breathes life into the garments, each piece a tender bridge between past and present, nostalgia and evolution.

Color emerges as the collection’s heartbeat. Crisp whites meet sun-drenched primaries, softened by watery pastels and sheer organza layers. Fluttering aqua dresses, poplin shirts in vivid red and yellow, and cotton knits in blush tones recall summers suspended in memory. Mathews’s silhouettes – fluid, gathered, and weightless – embody a kind of liberated precision. The result is a wardrobe that feels intimate yet modern, timeless yet alive with possibility.

Prints and fabrics from earlier seasons reappear, reimagined through abstraction. Ribbons, florals, and textured linens whisper of her early romanticism, while bolder lines and color-blocking assert her contemporary clarity. This interplay of old and new becomes the collection’s quiet strength – a conversation between memory and modernity.

Spring/Summer 2026 ultimately captures a designer in dialogue with her own history. Lee Mathews transforms recollection into design, creating a world where familiarity feels fresh and where tenderness is, once again, the height of sophistication.