The key to summertime dressing is effortlessness. It’s a principle that Stella McCartney applies to all of her collections, and it was in full effect at her upbeat show this morning, where she put a major emphasis on knits. Knitwear has become more visible on Spring runways over the last couple of fashion cycles as innovative, computer-enabled techniques have allowed designers to do things not possible before. There’s another reason sweater dressing is on the rise, and it comes down to the comfort factor. McCartney’s layered tanks, polo shirts, and tube skirts looked stretchy as activewear, sporty and poised for action on the athletic sandals they paraded out on, but elevated in bright stripes, checks, and transparencies. She also played with vibrant, pleated knits in loose trapeze-like shapes with sexy cutaways. It’s been a great week for color in Paris, but McCartney’s as bold as anybody, combining vivid orange and blue or chili red with pink on those knit separates. Swirls of ribbon embroidery made a similarly strong impact on tracksuits and dresses.
Her other project here was rethinking the suit, which has been an icon of the brand from the beginning. She did that via deconstruction; a double-breasted black jacket was transformed into a strapless, form-fitting tunic worn over a multi-slit skirt. And she did it by using unexpected materials, as was the case with an off-the-shoulder jacket and slouchy pants cut from raw indigo denim with high-contrast white stitching. More conventional pieces like vests and trousers had an appealing fluidity and elongated proportions.
Slip dresses were another key component of her first collection post–Saint Martins nigh on 20 years ago. There’s never been a bigger moment for boudoir dressing than Spring 2016, but McCartney more or less avoided the subject. A missed opportunity? Not really. In acid hues, her swirling eyelet dresses will stand out at stores next spring.
