Julia goes to 'Planet Alice'

Alice in Wonderland - Julia's guide to the Alice Temperley phenomonon

Written by: Julia (Stanwells - High Street, Lymington) - 01590 610074

“Planet Alice” they call it.  Fashion according to designer to the jet set and super chic, Alice Temperley exists outside the boundaries of regular fashion.  British born Alice and her husband Lars have built an empire in just a few years, with showrooms stateside New York and Los Angeles, as well as a rambling Notting Hill studio.

The Alice Temperley girl is not interested in the latest Louis Vuitton bag or rushing to Gucci to catch the new leather jacket, she’s the girl who wants to dress up in Alice’s Wonderland style. Dresses are the mainstay of this label with the intarsia knit always featured in the collection.  As I write this I am wearing a fabulous silk knitted Art Deco pattern dress, definitely the most comfortable thing I have ever slipped into. Temperleys  handcrafted trademark embellishment are the signature of her collections, the detail is quite amazing with embroidery, mirrors and sequins in abundance.

Alice has a Hollywood following with clients such as Uma Thurman and Scarlet Johansson.  This side of the water Sienna Miller, Laura Bailey and Yasmin Le Bon to name a few are staunch Temperley fans. Alice divides her time between her showrooms and shops worldwide, meeting up with her girl friends for all night shopping “get togethers” until the early hours.   Then she returns to her family farm in Somerset to recharge her batteries.

The New York shop was formerly an art gallery, but Alice wanted the look of a  French salon.  Old French brassiere-ware was imported from Paris and Temperleys signature quilts are used as throws over huge armchairs.  L.A. greets you with a pretty, airy store with vintage glass doorknobs.  Church lanterns hang from the ceiling and a lovely French sofa, all part of the Temperleys eclectic style.

London is the showroom I love to visit, you are always greeted with a smile from a stylish young assistant and a great cup of tea and biscuits.. Cosy, chic and comfortable, the Notting Hill showroom attracts the International Jet Set and Movie Stars in abundance.

I absolutely adore buying Temperley!  Each collection is always a surprise, it’s utterly gorgeous, dresses are always mouth watering, and if I could I would wear Temperley every single day.  The great thing about Temperley is that you can go home, slip on some wellies and a jacket, muck out the horses, then make the supper (wear a pinnie to save on dry cleaning!), lounge on the sofa, and you will still look fresh as a daisy by the end of the day.  In fact, I even have a customer who threw her intarsia knit dress on the floor after a momentous evening on the town, woke up in horror to find the dog had slept on it, but was most impressed that she could put in on to get home in without even the slightest crease!  She was most impressed. 

We at Stanwells have a keen following for this collection, but rest assured, we only buy a couple of each piece, so you shouldn’t meet your twin on the local party circuit. The Fall 2006 collection, which arrives in Stanwells from mid July, is unreservedly the Femme Fatale, in a monochrome palette, satins, velvet, chiffon and lace pulled in at the waist in true Forties Movie Star style.  Chic black cashmere fitted jackets nipped at the waist with the slimmest pencil skirt.  Floral intarsia knits in hot, sexy pink and black are definitely on my wish list.

So girls, join the Jet Set and invest in a part of Temperleys magical world, and I guarantee you will look and feel utterly gorgeous…

Other Updates:

Lymingtons fashion shops are all due to start sales soon.  We at Stanwells are in full swing with great bargains in linens and fantastic wedge espadrilles.  So don’t hang around ladies, we still have lots of long hot summer days to wear our linens, silks and chiffons. 

Great bargains on the High Street are also to be had from:

Frock Shop sale now on

Zimara sale now on

Neat sale commences Saturday 15th July

Elliots sale commences Saturday 8th July

Jaeger sale now on

Esprit sale now on