Stella's very grown-up collection

A seven-metre high, 14-metre wide Fuzzy-Felt backdrop courtesy of the artists Jake and Dinos Chapman greeted guests at Stella McCartney's spring/summer show in Paris yesterday. Rainbow-coloured rabbits, giraffes and a particularly anxious ladybird all made for suitably cute viewing.

Anyone expecting the collection to be similarly cartoon-like was disappointed, however. Ms McCartney produced her finest collection to date and one aimed squarely at grown women.

Roomy masculine trouser suits and all-in-ones looked relaxed but always smart. Satin bomber jackets, silk-organza T-shirts and fine-gauge knit cashmere sweaters were also clearly borrowed from men. This look is a McCartney signature by now – she wears it herself and understands it well. This time around, the colour palette was remarkable: soft shell pink, apricot and watery blue and green ensured that a certain softness was maintained.

Fluid silk dresses, meanwhile, were significant for the fact that they revealed nothing more obviously erotic than the back.

McCartney being McCartney, a more sassy and overtly sexy element was also in evidence. Micro-mini skirts in shantung silk transformed into equally brief shorts from behind and woven, knotted tunics embellished with Perspex all made an appearance.

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