“I’m a vegan, bitch!” You can count on Stella McCartney for a knockout soundtrack. Her show today featured the worldwide exclusive debut of M.I.A.’s new song, “Ola,” but the one that sticks in the brain was the Snaxx tune “Get Yo Tofu On,” from which the above vegan boast was lifted. McCartney is a famous vegetarian and has built a successful accessories business without using leather or other skins. This season her notes proudly announced that her puffer jackets are stuffed with feather-free wadding and that her cropped bombers are made with skin-free skin. In a world clogged with too much stuff, any designer who can produce more of their own without harming animals, and by extension the environment, is onto something.
With three days to go in the Fall ’16 season and hundreds of shows come and gone, it’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed by stuff. Come July and into autumn, when these pieces begin arriving in stores, what will rise above the fray? McCartney has an advantage in the game; as a rule she puts an emphasis on ease, which means her clothes are of the kind that are worn and well loved, not superfluous to needs. But today’s show was a bit mixed. She stumbled with the ruffled bib knit dresses with drawstring waists, which erred on the shapeless side. And in repetition, the swan motif came off somewhat juvenile. McCartney is known for her animal novelty prints—for Pre-Fall it was kitties—but a little would’ve gone a longer way here.
Elsewhere, though, she had terrific plissé flares that she showed with pointy flats for a look that felt very contemporary. A tie-dyed denim jacket elongated into a dress and cinched up the side with elastic cords was equal parts sporty and sexy. And then there were those puffer jackets. We’ve seen plenty this season, but McCartney did hers in evening-appropriate jewel-toned velvet. It set them apart.
