Alice Temperley is getting three girls dressed. And she isn't standing for any nonsense. Hoiking each of them in and out of their outfits, she announces: "I feel like we're on the set of St Trinian's. I'm the headmistress and you're the naughty schoolgirls."
She might well feel like that in the company of three teenagers, giggling in the corner as they discuss The X Factor, summers in Ibiza and partying with Pixie. But Leah, Clara and Tali aren't your average students. Leah Weller is the daughter of Paul, and is herself a pop star in the making, with a full-blown modelling career to boot; Clara Paget is fresh from the premiere of her breakout movie, St Trinian's 2; and Tali is a Lennox (as in Annie). And they're all here today, in their capacity as London's latest beautiful bright young things, to model Temperley's new line.
Since making a name for herself 10 years ago as the designer of choice for celebrities, It girls and the yummiest of mummies looking for the prettiest dresses around, Temperley has become a hot favourite with everyone from Cat Deeley to Emma Watson, Sarah Jessica Parker to Demi Moore, and many in between.
Her brand quickly became - and has remained - the place to go for ultra-feminine fashion, and gained a reputation for delivering the sort of dress you might wear for swanning around an impossibly glamorous Mexican beach. Or shopping. In Morocco. The only problem was, they didn't really come at particularly souk-friendly prices.
That's all set to change with the launch of her diffusion range, Alice. Focusing on simple pieces in more everyday fabrics, Temperley has designed a range that is throw-on wearable, infinitely wantable, significantly cheaper and really rather brilliant.
Advertisement
"We started doing it because of everything that is happening at the moment," she says. "Lots of friends can't afford the mainline prices but would still love to wear Temperley. So we wanted to offer a different price point." And more affordable it certainly is, with T-shirts starting at £58, dresses costing around £180, and the most expensive item, a beautiful, buttery-soft mushroom leather jacket, coming in at £440.
As well as being easier on the wallet, it's also a range that is easier to wear - in place of Temperley's usual detailing, you'll find T-shirts, denim and sailor stripes. "Once we decided to go for it, I got 10 girlfriends to pack up a bag of their favourite things they always take on holiday and bring them over. We put everything on a rail, and it was pretty clear what we all wanted out of it."
It helps, of course, that Temperley's friends are part, as she is, of west London's glitzed-up boho scene. So, thanks to said rail, you may now find yourself hankering after the broderie-anglaise Jax dress named after the model Jacquetta Wheeler, or another one inspired by her friend Laura (Bailey, one might assume), alongside an animal-print playsuit, a stripy T-shirt dress or a silk halterneck maxi.
Her ambitions for the new label are large. "The potential to grow a business like this is huge. There will be stand-alone stores soon, and we're launching a big interactive website using all the latest technology. We're creating a whole world around it."
Brave talk for a fashion business, considering where we're at right now. But, then again, given Temperley's track record and tenacity, and the three models' reactions to her latest offerings, it's a world you can bet a whole load of girls are going to want to be a part of.