Staged in the gilded neo classical opulence of Lancaster House, the collection showed Macdonald at his most stylistically understated, albeit with a gentle soupcon of high wattage slinkiness.

It opened with considerable panache, with a series of beige and sand looks - crisp cocktail dresses, sleek tops and high-waist jodhpur-harem pants that had poise and polish.

Macdonald stepped up the oomph factor with cool waistcoats erratically studded with crystals and then hit a home run with sexy columns, slit up almost to the crotch, and covered in mirrored Art Deco patterns.

Where in other seasons, the designer's natural exuberance tended to get the better of them, laying it on too thick in terms of decoration and finish, this season marked a new, mature Macdonald, one whose built in some needed restraint into his oeuvre.

There was a particularly good middle section with snug snakeskin jackets with sexy rouched dresses and skirts that recalled to mind Macdonald's famous soubriquet as the Welsh Versace. Well, this collection was so assured and wearable and still sexy that one could imagine the late Gianni applauding it heartily. It was that good.

Admirably styled by veteran George Cortina with just the right unfussy approach, the collection was presented with a wonderful musical accompaniment, principally Miles Davis' atmospheric soundtrack to Louis Malle's 1958 “Elevator to the Gallows,” probably the greatest jazz film soundtrack ever.

Back in 1848, Chopin played for Queen Victoria in Lancaster House. That must have been a cool, evocative moment. This show was too.

photos courtesy of Fashion Wire Daily