We reflect on our interview with Stella McCartney in MOJEH Issue 23, and look to what’s trending on her catwalk for spring/summer 2016 in Paris.
Stella McCartney by Emma Hardy
‘I think that I’m a fairly responsible person in an industry that is not known for being responsible. I guess I sort of stand out among my peers for that but I am also trying to challenge the industry.’ – Stella McCartney
Without question, Stella McCartney has already paved the way for positive industry change – in both principles and aesthetic – and ultimately it’s her deep-rooted understanding of women that’s to be commended. ‘I want my designs to allow women to feel strong, feminine and sexy… not just have people notice the outfit but the actual woman wearing it,’ she says.
‘The Stella McCartney woman is quite complicated I guess,’ – complicated in the sense that she leads a 360-degree lifestyle and requires a wardrobe to match. But Stella makes things simpler. ‘I don’t know if it comes back to being a female designer but I do put love into everything I do. I hope you can feel that in the product,’ she says. A little strict and a little soft – that’s Stella.
Today’s Stella McCartney show riffed on that very ideal of strict and soft. The majority of the opening passage was consumed in colour and bright prints that reflected the ease of a spring wardrobe. The designer proposed a graphic check that came oversized on ankle length dresses complete with polo neck collars. Then saw a transition from stripes to knife pleats on asymetric summer dresses and vests.
From airy proportions the collection turned to streamlined silhouettes that incorporated the elongated polo shirts seen in the opening looks. These paired over tapered skirts cut with handkerchief slits. McCartney’s signature double-breasted tailoring appeared both in dress and waistcoat shapes, in black and ivory.
Prints made another comeback in the show’s second half, only here they were haphazard in their makeup, many of which seemed as if plucked straight from traditional Aboriginal art. McCartney then melded her strictly soft aesthetic with a closing passage of dresses that combined said prints with a sportswear mesh, all of which accumulated to a collection of easy, breezy, summer appropriate pieces.
