This year, London Fashion Week has experienced somewhat of a coup. Not only, according to the Sunday Times, has it attracted more buyers (up 30% on last year) and foreign press than ever before but golden girl Stella McCartney made a triumphant return to London for a one-off presentation, which took place on the evening of Saturday February 18th, 2012.
Stella McCartney’s Rise to Fame
Since studying fashion design at London’s Central Saint Martins College culminating in her graduation show in 1995, the British fashion designer Stella McCartney has been working in Paris, showcasing her much sought-after collections at Paris Fashion Week. She was first appointed creative director of Chloé in 1997, and then, under the umbrella of the Gucci group, launched her own eponymous fashion label in 2001. As well as a children's label - Stella McCartney for Kids, she also has a women’s sports performance range in association with Adidas, which includes outfits that she has designed for the British Olympic athletes for 2012.
Stella McCartney at London Fashion Week
The designer’s return to London Fashion Week also coincided with her being in the capital to work on Team GB’s Olympic outfits.
The special (and somewhat unorthodox) dinner presentation, by invitation only to an elite few, precedes her appearance at Paris Fashion Week on Monday March 5th, 2012. The presentation consisted of a runway show, her first London show for 16 years, showing a collection of evening wear, set amongst dinners enjoying a black-tie (vegetarian) six-course dinner held in a Mayfair deconsecrated church. There was a real party atmosphere with cocktails and dancing, music provided by a jazz orchestra and guests being served by male ballet dancers dressed as waiters in traditional black linen aprons.
As for the clothes, in true McCartney style they reflected such classic looks as her exaggerated hourglass swirls in gorgeous marbled silks and cutaway tailored tuxedo evening suits. With the fashion world currently having a love affair with lace, there were also lovely lace outfits in cobalt blue.
During the evening the models (consisting of some supermodels and performers) took their places amongst the guests, meaning that each table played host to one of the outfits from McCartney’s new Autumn 2012 collection. The models also surprised guests by getting up and dancing energetically to a Led Zeppelin track.
The magical theatrical evening will go down in London Fashion Week history as one of the most memorable. The setting actually showcased McCartney’s evening wear in a realistic environment, proving that these were clothes that you could have a good night out in.
A Designer for Real Women
Stella McCartney, like Vivienne Westwood and Donna Karan, has always been one of a rare collection of designers who design clothes for women with curves. The actress Kate Winslet, a fan of the brand, is testament to this, and is particularly well known for being the clothes horse for McCartney's Octavia dress, cleverly cut especially to enhance curves. McCartney, in an interview prior to her London Fashion Week presentation, told the Sunday Times “For any dress to be successful it needs to be the right dress for the right person. This collection really celebrates a woman’s form and brings out what I believe to be the best elements of women’s bodies.”
Sources:
- Darke, Tiffanie. “McCartney’s stella return to London,” The Sunday Times, February 19th 2012.
- Cartner-Morley, Jess. “Stella McCartney’s party will go down in fashion history,” Guardian.co.uk, February 19th 2012.
Gill Hart - Gill Hart is a fashion and image professional who specializes in women's fashion over 50.
