NEW YORK, Sep 20, 2010 / FW/ — The young and extremely talented British designer, William Tempest, presented his Spring 2011 collection at New York Fashion Week at Lincoln Center. In the intimate setting, the exquisite silhouettes and lovely color palette were the stars of the room.

Being his first presentation at NYFW, Tempest aims to spread his label to a more international audience.
His directional style for this collection took a romantic twist on ‘The Sirens Song,” inspired by mythical half beauty, half sea creatures whose enchanting voices seduce passing sailors to shipwreck.

The collection showed a fantastical quality supported by the ethereal fabrics and soft yet striking color palette. The draping of frothy chiffons, georgettes and velvet devoré in Tempest’s collection mimics the waves of the sea and was juxtaposed beautifully against the more defined silhouettes in stone-washed double duchess satins and triple silk organides- so luxe and feminine.

The color palette was fresh and bright with corals and nudes offset by splashes of lemon and raspberry and one of Tempest’s signature prints. His palette was trend for this season compared to others we saw with the nudes, greys and coral colors, but the added splashes made his more vibrant and energetic.

His Spring 2011 collection was also a continuation of his collaboration with Mechanté of London, following the success of the debut collection they did together in Fall 2010. The collaboration includes a line of sky-high 5-inch heels in an array of colors to complement Tempest’s designs.

[LINDSAY McCALLUM]

New York Fashion Week Spring 2011