Alice Temperley marked her label's decade anniversary with a homecoming from New York and a show staged in the soaring, Norman Foster-designed atrium of the British Museum. That location, which had never been used by a fashion house before, was just enough to assuage showgoers as they patiently sat through a 45-minute delay.
Whether it was due to the grand setting or the fact that she's no longer just a girl making boho-sweet dresses that other girls love, the look tonight was grown-up and polished. And, dare we say, a shade sexier and more decadent. Temperley opened with a black ruffled jacket over a peachy satin skirt with a printed trim of black lace, a clever way of hinting at the boudoir, and an idea solid enough to be repeated in various iterations. Paired up with long, black leather gloves, the look also had a whiff of danger.
Temperley is a force at retail (witness Net-a-Porter honcho Natalie Massenet attending with her daughter in tow), and here the designer succeeded in covering her spectrum with a just-sweet-enough lace-trimmed L.W.D. and crafty sweater coats for day through a few terrific options for very elegant evening, including a column that combined crystal and fringe with surprisingly subtle results.
This strong collection was marred by a few midi-silhouetted dresses that simply didn't have the flattering look that this very on-trend length usually imparts. Perhaps it was the result of the wrong shoe or a slightly overwrought top half. At any rate, Temperley still has reason to celebrate.
