VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards Designer of the Year nominee for her Chloé collection, Stella McCartney drew inspiration from her own childhood memories of the '70s and '80s. And since the self-proclaimed "Rock Princess'" impressionable years moved to a disco beat, so did this racy collection. The sexy, fun-loving Chloé gals strutted their stuff at the Opèra Garnier to the raunchiest soundtrack to rock the runways in years.
Stella set the tone for the collection with short, batwing-sleeved jersey disco dresses, trellised with Art Deco beading—all set for Studio 54. Inspired by the allure of a girl shrugging her "boyfriend's secondhand coat" over a skimpy dress, Stella provided wintry cover-up in off-white "Afghan lamb" fake fur."Deco" seen through '70s eyes—hink Biba, that pacy fashion and style emporium—appeared in ombré-shaded lozenge prints and in silky jersey pieces, as well as in the crisply tailored wool coats that have become a Stella signature. There was more '20s influence in the Josephine Baker-style clasps, threaded with lengths of silk ribbon cord that belted satin tops or hipsters, and in the lush beaded trim on hot chocolate, jade green and navy.
Quirky, too, were the deluxe knitting bags, transformed from the prosaic via dense beading of hand-cut feather-shaped sequins. This embroidery later appeared fringing the sleeves of mini shifts—and as entrance-making jackets and coats—like "plastic fake fur," enthused Sean Lennon, who joined Stella's ever-supportive dad Paul McCartney in the audience.
