The Semple Story
I am someone who likes to wear well made, bespoke clothing and so after sourcing my perfect dress I was unsurprised to discover that many other women shared my vision of finding their dream dress. Yet finding well cut dresses, made from exquisite fabrics, that are sized and priced appropriately can often be hard to find.
I want to share the experience of made to measure with women everywhere. So armed with original designs from Hilla, the Semple Dress Collection was born, because I believe that a Semple dress is the answer to every woman’s sartorial needs.
It began with two dress styles, 'The Bianca' and 'The Ophelia' which soon evolved into a much larger range of dresses due to clients requesting different sleeve lengths and necklines. Today we have over 60 dress styles to choose from and we now make anything from suits to bespoke gowns!
Image: Maggie wears the Ophelia dress in blue pure silk, teamed with a Semple jacket in blue shantung silk.
"A collection born out of a passion for women, fashion and their stories."
In 2010 I founded Semple to coincide with the publication of my book ‘Women, Fashion, Stories’, which documents the treasured items of six high profile women.
I believe that everyone has a story about something they treasure and Semple was originally inspired by my very own ‘something special’, a classic Marks and Spencer shift dress from their SS85 Safari Collection. This shift dress became a part of my life for 30 years and I loved to hear people’s stories of me in it. So much more than an item of clothing, each and every stitch represents a lifetime of beautiful memories.
It was an exciting moment when my designer, Hilla Brunhilde Schönborn agreed to design my first collection of dresses. During one of my many visits to Italy, Hilla shared with me her sketches and paper patterns, then produced the first toiles; and I have worn Hilla’s beautiful creations ever since.