Stella revisits the trashy Eighties... highlighters, Kylie and all
STELLA MCCARTNEY may show during Paris Fashion Week, but she hasn’t lost her British sense of humour. A fact that became apparent when the invitation for her SS18 show arrived – a roll of logo-printed rubbish bags, labelled “trashion bags” (100 per cent recycled, as you’d expect from activist Mccartney). At the show yesterday, where Kylie Minogue and Alexa Chung sat front row, all became clear: and thankfully, this wasn’t a literal nod to trash, à la Zoolander’s Derelicte. Instead, Mccartney did “trashy” in the Eighties sense.
Denim was stonewashed, then coloured highlighter pink, green and blue. Long taffeta skirts sprouted from underneath oversized jersey T-shirts, and inflated silhouettes varied from an oversized boiler suit in tobacco brown to trousers that curved out around the legs to be drawn in at the ankle with elastic toggle ties.
Leopard print was understated and evening appropriate in black devoré, as both a dress and a skirt layered over a ruched black top and scrunched down boots, both in faux leather. Mccartney, who never uses leather, calls the material “alter nappa”. It features heavily in her collection and it seems that she’s meeting a growing demand.
While her shoes cost between £350 and £700, they often outsell the ready-to-wear collection so desirable are they – not in spite of their “faux” fabrications, but because of them. There are low-heel courts, ruffled peep toes, and crocodile-embossed chunky flat sandals trimmed with gold chain. And whether you’re keen to shop ethically or not, they are, honestly, very good.