“I feel, in a way, like I’m from a different age,” Alice Archer confides during her FW18 presentation at London Fashion Week. “I am really drawn to historic things.”

While her references may be of a former time – this season sees hints of Klimt, Whistler and Botticelli’s ‘Primavera’ intertwined with bucolic vistas and winter blooms – you’d be wrong in thinking that this British bright spark’s designs are in any way antiquated. “My pieces are not so much ‘vintage’ as they are a modern take on that… There are details in the garments that are references to vintage clothes, but the simplicity of their lines along with the right fabrics makes them feel clean and light.”

Anyone familiar with Alice Archer will know that embroidery is her calling card – and this season proves no exception. Even the painterly floral prints that account for around half of the collection have nods of her signature, as she explains: “You can see stitches in the prints; these come from enormous tapestry-like embroideries that have been photographed and developed from there. I also occasionally combine the two, producing a plain white embroidery onto which I print a painting.”

It’s an intricate process that, naturally, combines techniques both old and new. “Certain pieces take up to a full week to finish; all are done by machine, however I programme every single stitch so that the final result has the effect of hand embroidery. That’s very important to me. After all, I do what I do because I’m in love with making beautiful clothes.”

Click here to visit the Alice Archer website. Image shot on an Instax Wide 300.