The feel-good moment of Paris Fashion Week came at Stella McCartney this morning. Her delightful show finished with a dance-off choreographed by Blanca Li and starring the designer’s gorgeous model squad, who whooped, hollered, and shimmied in a collection designed to move in. McCartney has always made the most of her femaleness, creating clothes that work for real life. A longtime vegetarian who neither wears leather or fur nor makes her label in them, she’s gone much further than most brands to reduce her company’s carbon footprint. In a season of slogan T-shirts, she put her passions front and center. Sliced-and-diced oversize tees, dresses, and all-in-ones announced: Girls Thanks, and No Fur, No Leather. In the spirit of the season, she even sent out a couple of stretchy lace evening looks embroidered with her positive messaging; they were charming where some other attempts have felt preachy.
A woman can’t live on statement T-shirts alone, of course, and McCartney knows it. There was news on the tailoring front, which made use of corsetry detailing yet didn’t look uptight or constricting, thanks, first, to the cotton fabric she used and, second, the compensating volume she added to the rounded shoulders of jackets and in the generous proportions of her paper bag–waist trousers. A section of blanket dressing kept that relaxed, “I’ve thought about my outfit, but it isn’t the only thing preoccupying me” spirit going, as did the slouchy Ultrasuede jumpsuit and the oversize, patchworked men’s shirts. Points for the denim-look knits, as well. Eagle-eyed observers clocked McCartney’s husband, Alasdhair Willis, rocking a slick double-breasted jacket and trousers with a workwear vibe in the front row. The label inside? Stella McCartney. Her new menswear collection gets its official debut next month.
