Stella McCartney Autumn/Winter 2010-11
Comments (0) “THIS show is dedicated to my hubby, kids, family, team and friends. This one is also for Lee… You’re missed!
Stella McCartney paid tribute to Alexander McQueen thus in her show notes this morning. The British designer, who studied at Central Saint Martins at the same time as McQueen, invited us to the Opera House this sunny – but freezing – morning in Paris to show a pretty, very pared down collection for autumn/winter 2010-11. Sharp tailoring, luxurious cashmere knits and matching trousers comprised no-nonsense daywear that was followed by subtly sequinned and lace evening wear that made up a beautifully managed collection with all the Stella quality but slightly less of the pizzazz.
She began with warm camel and black horizontal stripes on a jacket and then a Sixties style tunic – the same tunic reappeared as ultra short dresses with slashed necklines and shoulder seams to show a brief glimpse of chiffon within. Graphic, linear minidresses were offset by nicely fitted trousers – Stella always has her eye on comfort as an inherent factor of style – while one black one with a chiffon single strap and a sheer strip down one side ensured sex appeal was high on the agenda, too. Natty little skirt suits had a strip of chiffon around the waist, while a grey cashmere sweater worn with matching trousers was serenely chic – they won’t hit headlines but they’re bound to be money spinners with the Stella set, as will oversized Parkas of tan or black and white with zips up the central back seam. Bright orange ribbed knits or teeny weeny polo neck dresses added a flash of colour, as did fuchsia silk cocktail dresses – their sequins overlaid in the lightest chiffon as if to tone down any celebratory notion. Enlarged fish scale sequins looked best in nude on the front of minidresses whose backs were extended to the floor and so floated out as the models walked by. Fine, barely-there lace had its patterns picked out in the same colour as its chiffon overlay for bodices and minidresses that had a ghostly beauty – a new concentration on technique put these pieces in a different realm to the rest – while a super short, loose black silk one-shouldered minidress was typically Stella: sexy without shouting about it to get you noticed without noticing.
The story for this summer is nudity – the vast majority of shows opened 
with nude, ice-cream colours, making cut and drapery the big style statements as opposed to eye-popping colours. Where last summer we obsessed about colour blocking, next will be about subtleties of tone: nude with peach with washed out nutmeg, or grey with icy blue. A general lack of clothing will be approved of too – your underwear must look its best next summer because if it’s not on show it’s not worth wearing – only to be covered by swathes of knotted and ruffled sheer chiffon – and a touch of lace will keep things interesting Stella McCartney, Fendi. White is always a trend for summer, but 2010 is expecting a full washout – bleached cotton came tailored and masculine or bulging and ruffled. And if you want colour, make it a check Christopher Kane, Louis Vuitton. So what to buy, if you will be shopping? Party dresses – lots of them, to be worn day and night: with interesting and forgiving folds around the hip for added shape. A jumpsuit – single shouldered or strapless if you dare. Loose trousers that taper to the ankle, preferably in silk. Bring shoes down a level or two, and if you venture from the washed out palette, make it a bold, tribal or ethnic print Dries Van Noten. A trench coat, long or short or turned into a party dress at Burberry. A belt – skinny ribbons or wide leather versions; the waist intends to allow you to show off your curves. And if your curves are that good, swimwear is teeny weeny as can be.