Temperley goes True British with new book

The past ten years have seen the designer rocket from naive start-up queen to MBE honouree and royal outfitter, with plenty of flutter-sleeved gowns and embroidered blouses along the way. Temperley has taken a moment to revisit the high points of her career thus far with True British: Alice Temperley, a monograph cataloguing a decade in dreamy designs.

‘It was lovely to stop and actually appreciate all that we have accomplished over the years,’ she told us. ‘I love the personal silly images from my private albums... and of course the mood boards which explain my creative journey and give insight into my archive. It is a very open document.’

The book brims with career anecdotes, photographs from magazine editorials, event images, campaigns and illustrations. The common thread between the elements is Temperley’s characteristically British spirit, she says.

‘To be British is to have a rich heritage that is ever-evolving and open to inspirations from around the world,’ she says, citing Mexico and Africa as some of her further afield influences. ‘Personally I think my inherited eccentricity and the British countryside that is in my blood is quite apparent. I often get called little Miss English—especially by my American friends.’

It’s an ethos that appeals to loyal clients as varied as the Middleton sisters and Florence Welch, who wore a