The British fashion designer talks to Georgia Dehn about growing up, family life and her roomfuls of clothes.
BY Georgia Dehn | 25 June 2011
Alice Temperley at home in Somerset. Photo: Matilda Temperley
Alice Temperley MBE, 35, is this year celebrating the 10th anniversary of her label, Temperley London. The company produces four collections a year, sold in four stand-alone stores in London, New York, Los Angeles and Dubai, and an additional 300 stores in 37 countries. She recently collaborated with Twinings tea on a limited-edition scarf, and is working on her third collection for Barbour. She grew up on her parents' cider farm in Somerset, and lives between London and Somerset with her husband, Lars von Bennigsen, and their son, Fox, two.
Routine I try to spend four days in London and three in Somerset. We bought a house seven miles from my parents a year and a half ago. I get up between 6.30 and 7am and my morning routine is always the same: hot water and lemon, eggs on toast and rose oil on the face. If I am in London I have a soya cappuccino and get to the office as early as possible. In the country I like to have breakfast with my son. Since I had Fox I don't travel as much for work, but I am still away once every six weeks or so.
Clothing I have loads of rooms full of clothes and a whole room of shoes. I don't throw anything away. I buy vintage - mainly Ala�a and some Westwood - but 90 per cent of the time I wear my own designs. I keep only a small edit in my wardrobe because I think it is important to keep things moving through and I like to find out which pieces from my collections work and which could be reworked and improved. I am wearing a pair of bloomer trousers (pictured above in the portrait) from about six years ago and they are perfect.
Prot�g� The collage (pictured above) is by my god-daughter, Flora. Every year I give her a blank canvas, a bag of sequins and some paints for Christmas, and she has to produce a picture for me. This one is of me, my house, Fox and my shih tzu, Monkey. She's working on a huge canvas at the moment and I gave her a Gustav Klimt book recently to inspire her. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes back. I'm grooming her to becoming a successful artist, a good deal for me because I will have a massive collection of her work.
Fox My son is two now and already fussy about his clothes. He likes wearing lipstick and beads and is really into pretty girls. For Christmas last year my husband bought me this tiny diamond fox necklace and a fox ring with ruby eyes (both pictured by the designer Tara Agace.
T-bird I drive a 1960s Thunderbird. I forced a friend to sell it to me six years ago after I fell in love with it and felt I had to have it. I still own my first car, a black Citro�n 2CV, which will always be my favourite.
Dressing up When I was a child I was always nicking my mum's jewellery to wear and I loved to drape a massive Chinese shawl around me from our fancy-dress box. I was obsessed with a feather and rabbit-fur collar from the age of three and attempted to make one with my friend, whose father was a gamekeeper. My mum found the skin in the airing cupboard, which wasn't very pleasant. For the past 15 years in July I've held a big fancy dress party for all my friends, family and locals in Somerset. Past themes have been sequins, leather, lace, debauchery and grace, and Alice in Wonderland, but I haven't made up my mind for this year.
Growing up Two of my parents' friends - Sally Dennis, a fashion designer, and Candace Bahouth, a textile designer - had a huge effect on me as a child. I used to go to their houses and my eyes would pop out of my head because they were full of decorative patterns and beautiful textiles and fashion.
Pets I bought my husband an alpaca about six years ago, and then we had to get another one because they can die of loneliness. I like impractical things that look ridiculous, but Luis and Rupert are useful, too - my parents borrow them when they are lambing because foxes don't like the scent. I also have my shih tzu, which was given to me by my mum to try to make me feel broody when I was 30.
Collections I have religiously kept sketchbooks since I was at primary school, which are all under my bed at my parents' place. I document everything inspiring I see, with notes, drawings and thousands of pictures taken every month on my camera. I have hundreds of drawers filled with fabric swatches, embroideries and buttons, so my team has a rich collection of references to work with. I also collect lights and headdresses (pictured above) from my travels.
Fitness I have no set routine. I do a bit of ashtanga yoga with my nanny, who is also a yoga teacher, but I am not very disciplined. I am about to cycle to Paris for the charity Help for Heroes, which will be five days and over 300 miles.
Always in the fridge Perry (pictured above). My father grows apples, but the farm next door grows pears and last year my father started producing perry. It is smoother than cider and really refreshing. Rather than a glass of wine in the evening, I tend to have a glass of that.
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