Happy days for a designer, when the winds of fashion blow her way. Alice Temperley is presently in the crosscurrents of two trends that suit the predisposition of her line. First, there s the emergence of Kate and Pippa Middleton as fashion icons, putting a stamp of royal approval on soothing and straightforward style. Second, this Resort season is looking rather romantic, with an emphasis on flattering, twenties-inspired bias cuts and fluttering sleeves and hemlines. That s a tone and a look that Temperley does well.
Botticelli was the stated inspiration this time around, and the designer did a fine job of fitting the painter s signatures into her own, to wit, the shell-patterned intarsia knits, hand embroidery on a dress in "Primavera," and the soft tempera palette. The diaphanous pieces felt very on-trend, in particular the white and blush silk drop-waist dresses. Elsewhere, structured cocktail numbers and neat, tailored trousers and jackets spoke to that Kate-and-Pippa girl who s less concerned about looking "now" than she is about looking right. Temperley knows her customer, and this collection will make that customer very happy.
