MY FASHIONABLE LIFE: ALICE TEMPERLEY

THE ICONIC FASHION DESIGNER, 44, on OWNING MORE THAN 1OO WHITE SHIRTS, DISCOVERING THE POWER of A RED LIP AND WHY she HOARDS EVERYTHING

The designer talks through her love of textiles, innate style and why she owns 1OO white shirts

I GREW UP ON A CIDER FARM IN SOMERSET.

I spent my days in jeans, cords and hand-me-down clothes with hay in my waistlength hair. When I return to the farm now, dungarees and a T-shirt are all I need – that feeling of freedom away from fashion is precious.

AS A KID I HAD DREAMS THAT I WENT TO SCHOOL WITHOUT CLOTHES ON.

I remember waking up scared. It is probably why I have so many clothes now.

MY GRANDMOTHER TAUGHT ME TO LOVE TEXTILES.

She owned all these intricate laces and embroided fabrics with jewels. She took me me to fabric fairs where we’d buy bags of Liberty prints and old vintage cloth that I could make stuff with. I love knowing the history, skills and stories of pieces – it’s an art form.

SOME PEOPLE ARE JUST BORN WITH GREAT STYLE.

It doesn’t matter if your clothes are designer; it’s how you put a look together. My mum can wear something she found at a vintage store at Glastonbury Festival and it looks great. I think eccentrics have great style – they own their look and have confidence with it.

I PLAN TO WEAR BLACK THREE-PIECE SUITS EVERY DAY.

When you’re dealing with so many coloured patterns for work, it seems like a nice idea to be simple. Often, I’ll be in the same clothes at home, then into a board meeting and straight out at night, without time to change, so I like the idea of a uniform I can wear through it all.

MY NICKNAME IS ‘MAGPIE’.

I haven’t thrown anything away since I was 14. If I see something at a market that would make a nice buckle, I have to get it. Looking back helps me to create new stories.

MY WARDROBE IS IN SOMERSET NEXT TO BARRELS OF MY FATHER’S BRANDY.

If it could talk, it would probably say: ‘Treasure me and look after me.’ You have to check the humidity, moth protection and ensure there’s no light on your wardrobe. The next stage in life is to be more organised: by next spring, mine will be sorted.

FINDING RED LIPSTICK HAS A HUGE IMPACT.

Charlotte Tilbury was right when she told me that it’s glamour in a stick. I can be in jeans and a white shirt and it instantly changes how I’m feeling.

I HAVE ABOUT 1OO WHITE SHIRTS.

Each one can make me feel like a different character. I also like my many black jackets – Victorian jackets, vintage Chanel ones, a lot of Temperley ones. I cannot part with any of them. Good tailoring can be transformative.

TO SUCCEED IN FASHION, STAY FOCUSED.

If you stay true to yourself, you can’t get lost. There have been times when

I’ve done too much – now I know I need to be focused about who a collection is for. When I listen to advice, it can scramble my ideas.

I’LL BE BURIED IN AN EMBROIDERED SILK KIMONO.

Something easy and beautifully designed. It’s my next project!