For months after our magical-mystery Temperley London shoot in February I 'd get random calls from globetrotting Alice: "Just saw the first prints in NY" or "I'm in India embroidering your background!" and eventually, happily, "I'm in a café around the corner - come see the pictures".
The images were inspired by - and designed to be shown and sold alongside - rare Norman Parkinson prints from the Fifties and Sixties. My favourite archive print in the collection is of Nena Von Schlebrugge Between The Sheets - Looking Delightful, Lasting Longer. (An irresistible flirtatious title, don't you think?). Alice's favourite is this beautiful portrait of Celia Hammond.
Back to the future, and Adam Whitehead shot Liberty Ross, Susie Bick, Sophie Dahl and friends in Temperley's fall collection in a starry production for a good (and decidedly glamorous in this case), cause. The Circle is a group of influential and like-minded women (Annie Lennox, Livia Firth, Jane Sheperdson, Elle Macpherson…warriors all), joining forces to fight for women living in poverty.
Circle events support truly life-changing Oxfam projects in Africa, Asia and South America. Alice, inspired, chose to forgo the conventional-catwalk format in favour of creating an original portfolio of prints (which she hand-embroidered and, in some cases, bejewelled), which she's called True British - and will be officially auctioned next week, though you can get a head start here.
Incidently, there are some seriously desirable clothes on show too and it should be noted that all the girls wanted to keep their outfits, including me, but then I did have to scrub off my make-up and head pretty much straight up Kilimanjaro so was understandably reluctant to slip out of my silky blouse (although Cecilia Chancellor's Denver jacket and Catherine Bailey's purple mini-dress are also on my wish list).
Thanks to Adam for the old-school movie-star lighting, Charlotte Tilbury for the big black eyes and Alice for the idea and everything else. Annie Lennox's vision for The Circle was of "Women empowering and facilitating women, in partnership across the globe". Alice's unique canvases are a beautiful beginning…
The auction has begun….Love this virtual catalogue, super-slick for the iPad age. Pick your favourites…
www.samworldwide.co.uk/temperley/parkinson_phillipsdepury_catalogue www.temperleylondon.com www.oxfam.org.uk