Stella McCartney's infectiously warm, laid-back vibe is hard to miss at her fashion shows. It starts with her quirky, clever invitations (this season an oversized neon orange Plexi key chain scribbled with 'Stella' was affixed to her hard card), then moves to the big baskets of warm cookies she serves pre-show and then comes to a toe-tapping conclusion with Cara Delevingne and Joan Smalls running and laughing down the runway as if it were the hall of a sorority house. All of this to say that Stella's world is an increasingly optimistic place to be. The clothes, of course, fit right into this upbeat, cool mood. This season McCartney married her signature men's tailoring - strict black suiting - with the happy chaos of a squiggles pattern. Using curvy gold zippers or colourful thread embroidery, the designer spiced up the fronts of her boxy black coats, curvy coat dresses and wool felt shirts. The motif was also played out more mellowly in quilted nylon coats and hooded parkas - a Stella signature. This is a huge knit season and this designer never missed a trick when it comes to a trend. She cut speckled knits into layered full looks of pantsuits or dresses attached with sweaters and matching handbags. The look maintained Stella's signature cool with lace-up shoes of multi-coloured platforms that layered pops of turquoise or coral with camel and organic wood. They looked terrific with her new pant of the season - a tapered stretch trouser with stirrups that mimicked a 1930s ski pant. It was, like the rest of the morning's proceedings, a welcome addition to the cosy Stella world.
Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
