It's not difficult to figure out how Alice Temperley has made a success of herself, within girly, high-flying NY-Lon social circles, in a few short seasons. She's a pretty young dressmaker, and her dresses are pretty, too. Beaded frocks for afternoon, and after, are what she does best: slight little things with spangles and scalloped edges, and sparkly cardigan cover-ups to pop on top. Add in crochet, forties-flavor dresses and some Ossie Clark-styled soft crepe jackets, and that's about it for summer.
Temperley has a knack for carrying off the nice-girl, flighty-flirty thing without ever going skimpily slutty. That's a fine line to tread—and not the only subtle maneuver a designer needs to master when grappling with the subject of appropriate prettiness for summer evenings. Another is color. As this collection at times inadvertently showed, aqua, lilac, coral, and pale yellow can be treacherous. If a girl's not careful, they can turn that dreaded term: "Missy."
