LONDON FASHION WEEK AUTUMN WINTER 2022: TEMPERLEY LONDON
Contrasts, Cactuses and Cartoons: TEMPERLEY LONDON’s Characterful Collection Invites Us to Kick Up Some Dust in a Swishy Sage Sequinned Dress, Desert Wind in Our Hair.
All Image and Video : Credit Temperley London
Transparent contours and turquoise accents in this trapeze dress
Watch the video of Temperely London’s presentation here: https://londonfashionweek.co.uk/schedule/713/temperley-london-autumn-winter-2022
YEEHAW! Alice Temperley’s Autumn Winter 2022 collection hails straight from the Wild West, with plenty magical fantasm as well as a good dose of gritty reality. Our heroines are in a place where a rather dusty Once Upon A Time In The West meets the surreal magic of Don Quixote. From the outset the scene is set for wild, wild contrasts: day vs night, theatrics vs demureness, seriousness vs playfulness, masculine suiting vs feminine frills, the charm of the stable-girl vs the allure of the sensual seductress.
Our heroines are stable-cleaning cowgirls kicking up some dust by day and sensationally glamorous party-girl sirens by night. The collection playfully flits between these looks: cartoon disco cactuses and jazzy desert worms decorate the colourful printed dresses, ponchos with Aztec motifs, sumptuous green velvet 3-piece suits and all-leather ensembles complete with intricate corded leather appliqué techniques are all playing their part in a tongue-in-cheek version of Sergio Leone’s famous graveyard dance to the tune of a jolly fiddler.
The humble and utilitarian prairie dress (which, incidentally was one of the key trends at New York Fashion Week) was placed on a pedestal as the centerpiece of this desert-inspired collection, this time oozing with witty sex-appeal and complete with seersucker plaid, ruffles, satin, sequins and bows. Ultra-feminine dresses –traditionally the trademark creations of Temperley London – were somewhat toned down by the addition of a denim, leather or other sharply tailored waistcoat or jacket.
There were peaked lapels, single-breasted and double-breasted jackets. A striking white cotton sateen trench coat rubbed shoulders with a teeny-waisted tuxedo jacket and a sensational red sequined catsuit peeked out from under a little black jacket. Lace and sequins, crossover straps, embroidery and stripes, prints and applique all formed part of this magical kaleidoscope in its dusty arena. And throughout the performance there was more than just a whiff of the Seventies, an era we know Alice Temperley has a penchant for. The awe-inspiring contrasts kept being thrown up at every turn: rhinestone-studded showgirl dresses and cascading sequin ball gowns were interchanged with jodhpurs and fair isle knits, lamé ruffled dresses followed on treble-leather ensembles, sturdy studded cowboy boots made way for sexy heels.
As for accessories, hands were dripping with a multitude of oversized turquoise rings and ears showcased dangly, feathery, beaded South American-inspired jewellery. Sharply brimmed hats, studded cowboy boots, pointy ankle boots, rhinestone-clad stilettos and waist-cinching, studded black leather belts completed the picture of the glamorous damsel in the pioneering West.
Colour-wise, black and brown dominated throughout the collection but were interchanged with a Seventies-inspired palette of prints on beige backgrounds, together with monochromes of cream, desert rose, dusty sky blue, cactus green and golden ochre. The odd red and turquoise accent made their deliciously bright cameo appearances, too.
This collection inspires. It makes us reach for the attic to see if we still have that pair of pointy cowboy boots kicking about. We search for turquoise rings and dangly earrings we bought on a trip to Chile … we want to heed the call of the Wild West! We want to dance in the dust in a swishy, swinging, sequinned sage green dress and feel the desert wind in our hair!
As ever, the inimitable genius of Alice Temperley is that she can effortlessly pull all these seemingly disparate and eclectic threads together to form a collection that is unmistakably from her stables, with every sequin, rhinestone and embroidery detail reinforcing the stunning British craftsmanship of this tailored, feminine and super luxe collection that was rather befittingly designed and made in England’s South (albeit not Wild) West!
A swishy sage green sequined dress and rhinestone-encrusted stilettos
A cactus-print dress in Seventies-inspired colours
A leather waistcoat with its intricate embellishments, wrap skirt and pointy boots
Pink ponchos and sharply-brimmed hats
A sleek, embellished dress with front slit
A dusty blue velvet 3-piece suit
An off-the-shoulder, transparent dress embellished with whimsical sequins
A plaid and frilled prairie dress
A dusty rose suit with turquoise jewellery
A sharply tailored tux with crisp white shirt and bow
An Aztek-inspired knitted dress
A ‘showgirl’ statement sequin dress
The Sundance midi dress with its tiered skirt and traditional trims
A red sequin jumpsuit
