Let us tell you a tale. A tale of girls who arise from their slumber, in slinky slip dresses with a ruffled flirty kick at the hemline. They’ll shrug on oversized cardigans in matching soft oyster tones, or inky navy for a darker turn. Or perhaps they’re languid in a pale liquid gold three-piece set done the alice McCALL way: a twist-front bralet with a relaxed coat and pants. “Luxury comfort,” said the designer. “I just wanted to do the real 90s slips but focus on the cut, really perfect and change it slightly – it’s sexy, flattering, cool.”

These are time-traveller girls – looking to the past, and the future, back again, and all for the now! They’re in their Victoriana white high waisted laces with the embroidered collars, and cut-work embroidered pieces that beat back to the original alice McCALL girl – that retro ‘70s feel, holiday dresses, updated with zip detailing
and contrast stitchings. And they can look ahead to the future with iridescent metallic foiled florals – pretty and cyber, as McCall said on finding beauty in the unexpected combinations. The freshness in the alice McCALL take sees floral wrap-dresses with gold hardware in the form of oversized eyelets – functional, mind you! – a bit of an edge, a modernity, to the sweet and the feminine. There’s the same approach with the gold fastenings on neat leather pieces of mod-60s cropped jackets and the slight A-line skirts, slightly elongated come this time around and in colours of softened navy and lilac.

A return to the soul of the label from its 2004 beginnings with a re-look at its signature, its codes, its alice McCALL essence. Embroidery, summer-time love dresses, a light sprinkling of vintage floral with updates and tweaks – the delicate, the lightest of touch-ups, if you may. There’s still that little bit of romance, and a little bit of femininity updated with a modern refinement. “Less bells and whistles – it’s all about the cut. Less is more!” exclaimed McCall. There’s a consideration in the shapes, the flattering colours – all for high frequency wear. So the way we’re going here: the future never did look so good.