Post date: Sep 30, 2013 1:34:54 PM
Daisies take centre stage with lightweight jacquards at Stella McCartney's ready-to-wear collection at Paris Fashion Week
PARIS, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 30, 2013) (REUTERS) - Transparent fabrics, fluid shapes and a smattering of daisies took to the runway at Stella McCartney's ready-to-wear fashion show in Paris on Monday (September 30), as the British designer sought inspiration in easy, airy looks for summer.
McCartney is known for an understated approach, and her Spring/Summer 2014 collection unveiled in the ornate setting of the Opera Garnier for Paris Fashion Week did not waver from familiar terrain.As at every show, McCartney's father Paul, was sitting front row, clapping loudly at show's end.
"I'm proud of every collection, because she was my little baby in arms and she's fantastic now," said the former Beatle. "I don't know much about fashion but I know what looks good. And this looks good."
As for the collection, whether light-as-air low-slung trousers, slip dresses that floated or half-transparent skirts, the clothes in neutral shades as well as navy, rust and black were cut away from the body, imparting fluidity and fun.
"It was very much about the summer season, really just celebrating that and celebrating the Stella woman as well within that world. Having a very sort of honest approach to who she is and what she needs and at the same time pushing her and elevating her to a place where she's new," McCartney told Reuters TV after the show.
Daisy prints, similarly used in the designer's latest sportswear collection for Adidas unveiled earlier this month in London, took centre stage. Coat dresses, bustiers, and dresses with plunging necklines carried the tiny flowers in prints of black and white or red and white.
And for those who cannot get enough of spring flowers, McCartney paired a simple red and white daisy short-sleeved top with a flared skirt - covered with roses, of course.
"A lot of fabric development, a lot of devores, a lot of embroidery, beautiful, the croc embroidery, a lot of tone on tone work," she said.
One goal was to make jacquards, textured fabrics whose intricate raised patterns often impart a heavy feel, "really light and airy, which isn't so easy to do, and giving them a summer touch," the designer said.
In some of the most modern, streamlined looks, McCartney played with transparency and opacity, offering up skirts and dresses whose lower halves were see-through silk organza, bound loosely to the rest of the garment with a shiny satin strip.
Paired with body-hugging tops in cap sleeves, the looks mixed sporty with chic.
The Stella McCartney brand is part-owned by luxury group Kering. The company does not break out sales results of its smaller brands but said in July its overall luxury sales rose 9.4 percent in the second quarter on a comparable basis.