If Fashion Week presentations were graded on a curve, Temperley London’s collection for Fall/Winter 2015 would be found at the peak. In clearly what is Alice Temperley’s most accomplished show to date, the designer celebrated exotic geometry and intricate prints in order to establish a high-style quotient on her otherwise effortless pieces. The art of mimicry transformed lovely models into savage vixens, and a nod to the work of Paul Poiret extolled the orientalism with which he was obsessed. In a word: wow.
Temperley’s patient hand engineered some walloping looks, like a bronze quilted duster slashed with contrast zig zags worn over a matching skirt. There were molten copper coats paired with moth wing prints, and thick maxis decorated in mirrored tiles. Amid the impressive geometry were moments of unparalleled sophistication, like the sculpted fluidity of a plush charcoal gray duster. Temperley introduced expressive tropical prints, and perfected a breezy, elongated silhouette with a wonderful draping technique that made the relaxed fit of her clothes feminine rather than masculine. From folksy to dandified, the tone shifted, with an eye toward more romantic pieces like tie-neck tops and velvet blazers, before returning to the realm of the exotic with vibrant matching separates. Temperley proved more than adept at injecting intense glamour into the most effortless pieces, like a relaxed blazer and maxi skirt pairing in solid silver metallic fabric. Closing looks were glittering and metallic, covered in scores of paillettes and mirrored tiles arranged into geometric patterns. This luxurious, artful collection set the bar high, not only for Temperley’s future output, but for the rest of the collections yet to be shown at London Fashion Week.
Photos: Courtesy of Imaxtree
