LFW AW10: WILLIAM TEMPEST by Nedim Nazerali

Whilst here in Paris the frigid rosy-fingered March dawn has risen upon what is, for me, the most important day here at Paris Fashion Week, the moment I've been waiting for since the first girl hit that first runway back in NYC which seems like agggges ago. Chanel, baby, it's Chanel time. 

But before we can Lagerfeld, thanks to my adamant desire to stick to fashion week reporting in a chronological, organized fashion (as much as these hectic internet-less days will allow) and bring you the third collection of young British designer, William Tempest. 

Tempest, despite having become something of a wunderkind  (he has dressed celebrities including Lilly Allen, Alexa Chung, Emma Watson and Victoria Beckham and celebrities Peaches Geldof and someone called Louise Roe of whom I've never heard gracing his front row), still shows with Vauxhall Fashion Scout.  For many young designers, for whom Vauxhall is that first miraculous stepping stone from the studio to the runway, after a successful launch, they whisk themselves off to the greener pastures of the BFCs's main tents without so much as a fleeting backwards glance whence they came. This is not to say that young designers aren't meant to graduate from their "Scouted" stepping stones onto bigger and more international catwalks, it's more a question of when and how. And after achieving the level of success experienced by Tempest, most designers would have hightailed it to Somerset House two seasons ago. So kudos are owed to Willy T.

This season's collection claimed the Queen of Sheeba and Islamic architecture as its inspiration. And while those influences may be palpable (interlocking triangle detailing, structured bodices a la Tempest's Tudor collection, geometric collars and pattern-cutting and so in), I'm not entirely sure how well it worked. The fabric, especially that unflattering chalky pistachio, just looked cheap up close. And the solid color black numbers, despite bearing the signature marks of William's futuristic tailoring (which, on account of the light, you could barely pick up on), made for a rather boring collection.

Perhaps it is time for Tempest to move on to bigger and better things after all. Let's just hope he starts with a return to more exciting creations rather than a relocation to a "more exciting" venue.

 

Photos by Nedim Nazerali, click here to check out his blog