Stella McCartney's pre-fall presentation turned out to be one of the most civilized occasions of Paris Couture week: tea at the British Embassy with models wandering around chatting to guests and hanging out playing snooker (all while onlookers politely boggled at the sight of Kate Moss and Jamie Hince being introduced to the ambassador, Sir Peter Westmacott). Circulating in a double-faced camel peplum jacket and seventies-look jeans, McCartney explained the rationale behind this in-between delivery. "It's to provide a whole wardrobe, pieces that will stay with you for years because of the quality, and because, hopefully, they have a kind of timelessness." The beige cashmere cape-sleeved coats and A-line skirts (more of that seventies flavor that's started to come through this season) had a classics-revisited air about them, and there were plenty of McCartney's own go-to constants in the way of tailored pants. Her Prince of Wales gray check double-breasted trouser suit came shorn of lapels; and in lightweight pinkish-ivory silk, her brilliantly fitted, man-tailored, cropped-at-the-anklebone trouser looked dressy enough (with an embroidered bolero) to be a perfect solution for relaxed summer evenings.
