Humor. Charm. A healthy appreciation of fun. They're Stella McCartney's magic sauce, and they were all on display at her pre-collection party last night. This one was held at the Convent of the Sacred Heart on the Upper East Side, with Kristen Stewart and Chloë Sevigny in the crowd, and for props: ping-pong tables, miniature-golf stations, a cappella singers, and a four-piece band. The good vibes extended to the collection. On the accessories front, McCartney showed glitter backpacks, new versions of her best-selling star platform loafers, and fuzzy hats that all the editors were angling for. The clothes had wit to spare, too. See the metallic wildcat print and the psychedelic weeping willow trees (designed in collaboration with London illustrator Will Sweeney) that decorated otherwise minimal evening separates. Or an out-of-the-ordinary snow-leopard-print coat with oversize metal and plexi disc buttons.
McCartney held forth in front of a group of reporters. "I don't want another heather gray knit, I already have a man's jumper," she said, pointing to someone's sweater. "And I don't want a black overcoat. It's about looking at those staples, the pieces we all turn to and need as women, but I want more out of them, I want to say something with my clothes." And so her turtlenecks came ribbed with an orderly row of brass buttons down the front, while a cashmere crewneck had a graceful swirling hem. Elsewhere, of-the-moment kick flares stopped well north of the ankle, the better to show off an oxford-slingback hybrid that McCartney was keen to point out as a personal favorite. They summed up the practical—but with loads of personality—nature of the whole collection.
