Alice Temperley is one of several London designers celebrating major milestones this year—but it won’t be until next season that she stages a 25th anniversary show for her namesake brand. “It makes sense to do the collection then [for fall] because you’ve got layers and things,” she said in a preview.
For now, Temperley is presenting her high summer collection, inspired by the “fern fever” that gripped Victorian Britain, along with the palm tree motifs that dominated ’30s Hollywood. Continuing the Art Deco theme, Temperley’s new photographic studio in Somerset—where this season’s lookbook was shot—was painted with striking black and white designs, complementing the graphic prints seen throughout the collection.
Fresh from a vacation in Greece, Temperley explained that creating a sense of ease was crucial this season. Case in point: the floor-length fringed kaftans, silk-jacquard halterneck maxis, and the printed button-up cotton dresses that can be thrown on, straight off the plane. “I want things that offer comfort and stretch; that are super easy to wear,” she said.
When it came to occasion wear, Temperley continued to lean into the brand’s most popular archival designs, such as its Novella and Gilded gowns (the latter was recently worn by Madonna to celebrate her 67th birthday), which were reimagined in new colorways. Rather than chase the latest trend cycle, Temperley is confident that she is giving her customers exactly what they want. “We just keep it really focused on what we do best,” she said.
