UK designer's spring/summer 2014 collection was more about tweaks to her signature looks than ringing changes
Stella McCartney used her spring/summer 2014 show in Paris as an opportunity for a bonding moment between her and the woman that wears her clothes. This was a love-in between the designer and her growing customer base.
The collection, which was shown in the ornate surroundings of the Grand Opera on Monday, was about what have become the McCartney signatures.
Sportswear influence was in stretchy crop-tops worn with high-waisted luxe track pants and zip ties on pockets of blouses. Her preference for bold, pop prints and patterns came in oversized croc shapes on bright white shirts and a daisy print in a pretty orangey pink dubbed "chilli".
Eveningwear was represented by a series of delicately layered lace slipdresses – some backless – towards the end of the show. Her models included Miranda Kerr, opening the show, and Cara Delevingne walking for the first time at this Paris fashion week.
Backstage, the designer was her brand's own best advertisement once again – dressed in a peachy blouse with zip on the pocket from the collection just seen on the catwalk and a pair of jeans with zips at the ankle that eagle-eyed fashion editors appreciated. She said the collection was about "summer, and the Stella woman. I wanted to celebrate that and refine what we do."
The confidence to tweak rather than ring the changes can be traced back to recently released financial results for the label. It was reported on Friday that profits were up 19% in 2012 – with eveningwear growing as a category. McCartney's take on the category appeals to a woman who wants something a bit more edgy than the average party frock. These lace dresses, with artisanal layered-up lace in sorbet colours, will do nicely for summer. "I wanted to show the coolness you can achieve with lace," said the designer.
The Stella McCartney brand, which is part of the Kering Group, posted sales in 2012 up 22.8% to £25.8m. Last year was already a memorable year for the designer who masterminded the kit for Team GB's athletes at the London Olympics and received an OBE.
McCartney knows she is on the right track with her designs. A front row that included Stella women ranging from model Natalia Vodianova to the actors Selma Hayek and Christine Baranski – the latter known to fans of law drama the Good Wife as don't-mess-with-me boss Diane Lockhart – only illustrated the point. While the flashbulbs went mad for McCartney's father, Paul, and his wife, Nancy Shevell, it was these women – and others like them – that were centre stage. A sort of nonchalant power – and elegance – is what they have in common.
Designer musical chairs continued off the catwalk on Monday. Marco Zanini, who stepped down from Rochas last week, was confirmed as the designer of revamped house, Schiaparelli. His first collection for the brand will be at the couture shows in January 2014.
Rumours continued that Wednesday's Louis Vuitton show will be the last for its artistic director, Marc Jacobs, who has worked with the label for 16 years. According to WWD, the designer is said to be in talks with his employers, but his contract – which expires this year – may not be renewed and Wednesday's show may be a kind of retrospective. The theory is that the designer wants to concentrate on taking his own brand, Marc Jacobs, public in 2014. Nicolas Ghesquiere – the former creative director of Balenciaga – is tipped to take his place at Louis Vuitton.
Also showing on Monday was Sacai. The label, designed by Chitose Abe, fits into the growing interest in all things Japanese. She originally worked at Comme des Garçons, under Junya Watanabe, and launched Sacai in 1999. Abe has been growing international clout for her label since showing in Paris from 2010. Her collection this season was a successful mix of sportswear details and couture fabrics, the frills of lingerie and the chaste charm of striped nightshirts.
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