Backstage Interview: Alice Temperley On Her Cuban-Inspired SS16 Collection

Models Munching On Chocolate And Popcorn? It's All-Go Backstage At Temperley London

ALICE T

by Edwina Langley |
Published on

1 Marylebone Road is a hive of activity today as final preparations for Temperley London's SS16 show are underway.

Backstage, lengthy hair extensions are delicately applied and sculpted into low ponytails, and make-up is clean and sleek – very ethereal, very Temperley London.

'[I've been] looking at the beautiful distressed work of [architectural photographer] Robert Polidori and working out the perfect summer wardrobe,' head designer Alice Temperley tells me of her new 'Havana' collection. 'The romance and decadence of Cuba and [a] bygone era... Making fashion that is ultimately wearable and also transports you at the same time.

'All the fabrics we do – and all the embroidery – are handcrafted, hand-engineered... It was really looking at the patterning and the colour.

Backstage At Temperley London SS16 

'What you'll see in the show [is how] everything has a got a pattern,' she continues, 'and a lot of detail – but [it's] very, very, very wearable at the same time.'

In the room behind us, vibrantly coloured dresses – with loose silhouettes and embellishments a-plenty – stand neatly in racks. Embroidery? Tick. Prints? Tick. Decadence? Underline in bold.

'I've just [picked] six or seven looks to wear this week,' laughs Alice, when I ask if she has a favourite. 'I love [the] skin dresses we do... that is a Temperley classic and [we're] kind of reinventing that.'

Back in hair and make-up, Liz Earle are dishing out all manner of facial therapies, as nearby models munch on pots of Potage salads, Tyrrells Poshcorn and Pierre Marcolini chocolates (yes, really!). The coconut water flows freely and the coffee dispenser is getting a hard core workout. The energy levels suddenly rise as models file out for the show's rehearsal.

'We're really excited about this [collection]' Alice concludes. 'Because it's just joyous – and it should be! It should be wearable, it should be fresh – and ultimately, [be] clothes to make girls feel good.'

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