The fact that Alice Temperley s show fell on the same day as the Oscars occasioned some thinking about the state of formalwear. The clothes on the Temperley runway were dressy, but they had a relaxed mien—a far cry from the trussed-up looks due to be broadcast from L.A. that evening. Red-carpet dressing has become almost completely detached from reality. Temperley, on the other hand, embraced it—witness the chillaxed glam of Jacquetta Wheeler, visibly pregnant, catwalking the designer s long, slinky slipdress covered in bronze-toned sequins, a duster-length parka thrown over her shoulders. That wasn t the strongest look here, but it felt modern. The standouts, meanwhile, were the jumpsuits—a velvet one with long sleeves and a diving neckline, especially—and the flowing trousers that Temperley offered for day and for evening. Elsewhere, this nomad-themed collection crescendoed in the intarsia knits featuring bold, vaguely tribal motifs, with the multicolored maxi dresses a particular highlight. The pants were the key silhouette here, though, one of the nods to Poiret that made you recall that formal looks haven t always been fussy. There are other ways of summoning drama.
