Fashion Scoops
Chic & Sustainable
It is about f-- king time.
So declared Stella McCartney at her Monday morning opener.
For Paris Jackson, who got up at 6 a.m. to prep for the show, it wasn't just about time. It was about change, as evidenced in McCartney’s collection that promotes sustainable materials.
“Change,” said Jackson, a longtime animal rights activist. “It's not just the animals. It's the environment in general, it's pretty much anything that's not human about this planet. I support that [and] how do we make it a safer place.”
Jackson highlighted how McCartney doesn’t use any animal leather in her products and elevates alternative materials, such as mushroom leather.
“It’s the vegan stuff and the anti-cruelty, but also just everything she's doing…. She's very innovative and is finding a way to make activism chic,” Jackson said.
Dressed in a teddy wrap coat and not much else, Jameela Jamil was feeling sexy, chic and sustainable. “I’ve never been so warm or comfortable or thrilled,” she said, caressing the fuzzy fabric.
The actress and activist is working on a book and added her message to the theme of the day. “It's about f--king time to give women a f--king break. Jesus. We need the right to our bodies back. We need our freedom back. We're not asking for a lot. We're not asking to oppress anyone. We would just like some freedom,” she said. “Leave our bodies alone.”
Videos around the glassenclosed greenhouse at a park on the edge of Paris streamed with a message from the perspective of Mother Earth. “Why are you harming me? We are always connected,” it queried. Naomie Harris offered an apology: “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all the damage.”
The “No Time to Die” actress talked about their friendship. “She’s one of the best people and really championed sustainability and made it possible to create all kinds of different fabrics,” she said. Harris tried on some grape leather shoes at her fitting. “She’s trailblazing and she's showing what's possible for other brands, which is incredibly rewarding. The reality is the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries there is, and if any industry has to change its ways, it's this one.”
McCartney’s use of alternative materials got the conversation going amongst guests, several of whom were gifted a grape leather bag to carry.
M. I. A. noted that McCartney has been a trailblazer in the alternative materials space, “She’s been on it for a long time, and it’s good that the rest of the world are going to catch up to it,” she said.
The rapper said that what you put on your body should be in tune with your consciousness, and talked about her mediation practice.
“The thing you get from natural fiber is the fact that it lets in meditative frequencies… technical fabrics sometimes works against that,” she said of oil- based synthetics such as nylon. She said she wears cotton when she is mediating “because it’s more receptive.”
McCartney’s success is the blending of futuristic thinking, such as the new materials, with cool fashion. “The combination has always defined the super future with the super ancient. What Stella is doing is creating a futuristic fabric that is just as respectful of ancient traditions," M. I. A. said.
Interpreting the catchphrase of the day,
M. I. A. emphasized the “about” instead of the F word. “It’s about time for
people to become more conscious in fashion, and thinking about our spending and how we spend and where you choose to invest,” she said.
The industry should think about material sources, such as vegetables, repurposing other materials and how it uses its energy grid mix. It needs to be tackled from several different angles, she said.
“It has to all work, obviously, in some sort of harmony,” she added.
Two guys in harmony would be Stella's father
Paul McCartney and his Beatles bandmate Ringo Starr, who both turned out to support the designer’s runway show. They posed for photos together before heading backstage for a warm round of hugs.
Charlotte Rampling sent her best wishes, too. “Much love, she’s an old friend. I was born almost the same time as her father, so I’ve known her for a very long time,” she said of Paul McCartney. “She stands for all the things we hope to change in the world and the fashion industry.”
The show also brought out LVMH head of image and environment Antoine Arnault, whose wife Natalia Vodianova closed the show in a covetable white coat.
Hitting The Shows
In the match of time, Maria Sharapova beat Serena Williams.
The two tennis players both appeared at the Valentino show Sunday. Sharapova arrived early; Williams walked in just before the show was due to start. But it was all love-love.
“There's something about coming in early and seeing a show come together,” Sharapova said. “The beauty of it is not just what's on the catwalk, but actually the people and the materials and the substance that it takes to put a show together. So those are the magical moments for me.”
Sharapova has hit a few shows this Paris Fashion Week, including Victoria Beckham and Hermès.
She said she learned how much work it takes to put together a collection through her friendship with Gabriela Hearst.
“Understanding what goes into the fashion industry and how physical and mental it is to produce consistent shows, season in, season out, I have so much admiration for this industry, particularly female designers I've gotten to know,” she said. “I know how tough it is juggling motherhood and work.”
Sharapova said she has taken inspiration from how designers manage aspects of their businesses, including beauty. She's been taking time off since selling her candy business, Sugarpova, in 2021. But she's now working on a platform that is not in the fashion space but adjacent and encompassing a lot of things, she said mysteriously. “But it's still early days,” she said. “TBD.”
Singer Gracie Abrams arrived in Paris and did her homework ahead of the show — by watching “The Devil Wears Prada” in her hotel room.
Does she think it's an accurate reflection of the fashion industry? “Mildly, in a way, and I say that with the most love,” she said. “It's my favorite movie ever."
( The film was a theme, as Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli's dog
Miranda, as in Priestly, was sitting in the front row.)
Looking around the Hotel Pozzo di Borgo, which was Karl Lagerfeld's home for 30 years, she declared it a palace. Abrams toured with Taylor Swift through the summer and fall, and was eager to step into the real- life world of the nowclassic film.
“I feel stoked to be in a new environment for a second,” she said. The singer has a few fashion shows under her belt, but it has been several years since then and she was trying to fully take in the moment.
“I always miss fashion week as soon as it's over. Honestly, it's so inspiring to be around all different kinds of artists…[music and fashion are] both ways to express yourself. I have loved getting dressed by people who are so genius in the fashion world. I'm typically very low maintenance and laid-back. So it's a rare experience for me to kind of get dressed up like this.”
She was in a lace dress with full skirt, but not very full coverage up top. Abrams added another layer as the first impression was a little too sheer, despite the current trend and ensuing exposure of runway looks. "It was almost a pasties situation," she said.
The album, too, is under wraps. She would only say that the writing process has been “cathartic.”
“But I love it more than anything. I'm excited for it to belong to everyone else, hopefully very soon,” she said.
Talk of writing seemed to be buzzing in the room, with “The Bear” actress Molly Gordon sharing that she is working on a screenplay she hopes to direct.
“I've been in my sweatpants, big shirt era. So to put on a dress like this and get my makeup done is a very different energy. I haven't left the house,” she said. Gordon was accompanied by her mom, Jessie Nelson. She joked that the two were so tired they were attempting to speak garbled French to waiters. “But we sound like we are speaking in tongues."
She wouldn't divulge anything about the plot of her script, but talked process. “You kind of try and then you hate it, then you write and then you turn on it, then you love it, and then you turn on it again. You never feel perfect about it but you just jump off the bridge and attempt to be creative.”
Gordon said she