One of most profound fashion shifts of the past decade has been the elevation of the humble sneaker and the subsequent normalization of it as the “right shoe” for just about everything. Not just track pants and blue jeans, but actually everything—from natty suits to slip dresses. Stella McCartney has been in on the movement from the early days—her partnership with Adidas dates all the way back to 2005. For Fall at her eponymous label, she’s doubled down on the look; her show notes revealed that her new Loop trainers are made with specially designed hooks and stitching to avoid the use of toxic glues. She’s designed them in Alter Nappa (aka faux leather) and knit iterations, and styled them, as we said, with everything, tailoring and maxi dresses included.
McCartney’s woke approach to sustainability, especially her animal-free policy, is her biggest contribution to the fashion of today, followed closely by her commitment to practical chic. The Stella effect, let’s call it, can be observed at brands up and down the price spectrum. Now there are reports that the designer is buying back parent company Kering’s 50 percent stake in her label. If anything, it signals a confidence on her part in the future prospects of her business.
Cast against those headlines, this show came off somewhat low-key, though all of her signatures were present and correct. Suiting and lingerie formed the foundation of the collection, just as they did when McCartney emerged from Central Saint Martins in the mid-’90s, only now her approach is less traditional, with layers of deconstruction and trompe l’oeil. The knits, always an important element, called to mind classic Coogi sweaters or were built on classic Aran patterns gone askew. Shrouded in lace-trimmed tulle, the J.H. Lynch painting prints she showed for evening (with sneakers, naturally) were striking but rather reminiscent of a recent Fall collection from Prada. Clothes-wise, the news here was the fact that McCartney combined her women’s and one-year-old men’s collections on the runway for the first time, and that the menswear more than held its own.
