Gray skies couldn't dampen this afternoon's presentation, the latest in a string of Stella McCartney Resort shows seemingly tailor-made to outdo the one before. For the carnival-themed outing, held alfresco in a Lower East Side cemetery, there were ring tosses, tots with lemonade stands, tests of strength, barbecue grills roaring (this being meatless McCartney, the burgers were black bean), and a New Orleans brass band. Photographers and gawkers couldn't get enough of Anne Hathaway with her Les Miz crop, but if they did manage to tear their eyes away, they still had Amy Poehler, Emily Mortimer, and Jim Carrey at whom to gape.
"I love spring, spring's one of my favorite seasons," McCartney said. "It's all about enjoying the new beginning, in a sense. This season I wanted to let it go a little bit." The deep, slightly serious blues of her athletic Fall collection had been traded in for sky blues, chrome yellows, hot pink, and clean, neutral white and linen. The last was a reference, the designer said, to the fact that the collection was inspired by toile and calico—the new beginning of garments, literally.
The clothes she put on parade here were variations on the Stella themes. Greta Gerwig proclaimed herself a fan of the oversized blazers, like the men's versions she used to buy in vintage stores—but, she hastened to add, better. An interiors inspiration yielded wallpaper florals and brocades. McCartney's pants, once cropped, came flared, and got even groovier in madras. "This collection was about having standout pieces," Stella said. Hence the series of pretty lace dresses beneath which were layers of drapery fringe. Partiers, prepare. There were other pieces that stood—or stuck—out, but even those did so happily, for the most part. A group of holographic pointy-toed wedges, clutches, and iPad cases hit the holo trend without necessarily seeming here nor there. No matter—the models kicked off their shoes anyway to dance in the damp grass.
