“In fashion, mushrooms are the future,” boomed a deep voice just as Stella McCartney’s fizzy show began at Espace Niemeyer — in a room resembling the frilly underside of a champignon. The pre-show prediction, made by mycologist Paul Stamets, was accompanied by synthesized music created from the sound of mushrooms living and growing.
Mushrooms have a different kind of magic these days, and no designer knows that better than McCartney, who plied them into a bag made with mycelium leather courtesy of Bolt Threads, the California-based company with which she’s been working. McCartney loves mycelium and earlier this year used Bolt’s trademarked Mylo fabric to create a black bustier top and utilitarian trousers.
And while this show may have been ‘shroom-focused — McCartney said she was inspired by the 2019 Netflix documentary “Fantastic Fungi” — there was a garden’s worth of other vegan, recycled, regenerated materials on show, including cashmere, nylon, elastane and animal-free leather.
Not that any of this was obvious to guests sitting under the textured Niemeyer rotunda. McCartney’s green ambitions have never gotten in the way of fashion — or a zingy color palette.
The collection had a sporty feel, and included long tank dresses with curvy cutouts across the torso in electric green or a psychedelic swirl pattern.
Wide-leg trousers and karate-style jackets were cinched with long strappy belts, while bikini tops and bodysuits peeked from under tailored jackets or sparkling gowns. Cutout jumpsuits — for yoga and/or the red carpet — hugged the curves, as did skinny, striped knit dresses.
There were roomier silhouettes, too, including a lineup of mannish tailored suits in burnt orange, melon and cornflower, and breezy, Empire-line dresses covered in a delicate, hand-drawn mushroom print.
“For me, the concept was about transitioning. I wanted to project what the future could be like for the house of Stella — a lightness of touch and a slightly more tender approach, but still mixing sporty and masculine pieces. I was asking myself, ‘What’s the breath of fresh air that I feel, and what are we looking toward in the fashion industry?'” the designer said.
McCartney hadn’t planned to do a live show, and pulled this one together in a week — and there was no shortage of spectacle. Lots of friends were there to hug her backstage, including her father Sir Paul McCartney, Isabelle Huppert, Demi Moore, Scout Willis, Karen Elson, Paris Jackson and Ella Emhoff, among others.
It was a big love-in, but for McCartney, it’s always family first. “Let me say hello to my daddy,” said the designer, pulling away from the crowd, hugging her father and proudly introducing him to her new colleagues at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
