As Paris Fashion Week was beginning to come to a close earlier this week, Stella McCartney took up her newly-familiar position - both on the calendar and within the city itself - as she presented her spring/summer 2023 vision at the Centre Pompidou on Monday morning.
But while the editors, buyers, stylists and influencers sitting front row were inevitably feeling a little weary after a month of back-to-back fashion shows across the four fashion capitals - interspersed by endless industry launches and parties to keep travelling guests busy - there was nothing remotely tired about the the collection on show at the piazza.
The runway alone was enough to awaken even the most exhausted guests, with three bright, primary-coloured paths paving the way for a stampede of seemingly endless looks; almost all of which sported either a similarly punchy hue or joyful rhinestone detailing. Sometimes both.
But one of the more subtle trends to emerge from Stella's latest collection took us all on a nostalgic trip back to the 00s.
Revisiting her roots, Stella McCartney - whose brand was founded in 2001 - sent the likes of Amber Valletta and sisters Gigi and Bella Hadid down her runway wearing a series of some of the lowest-slung waistlines we've seen for quite some years.
Confirming the influence of Y2K on her label's new season aesthetic, Stella told Vogue: “I want to look back at my history and redefine where I started and where I am now and what the next Stella looks like. So, there were pieces from my past that were referenced.”
“I always wear everything pretty much low-slung. I think it’s all about comfort, really, and I think one of the gifts of being a female designing for females – a woman designer, which, by the way, there are not enough of at the heads of houses, and it’s important to say that – I try on all the clothes when I fit.”
“It’s critical to me the difference between two millimetres and two centimetres and two inches. It’s life-changing. To me, that gives a clear message of being easy, effortless and sexy.”
Showcased everywhere from suits - both skirt and pant - to loose-fit denim and vegetarian leather trousers, Stella set out to prove that the low-rise waist can work for just about every occasion. And we'd be lying if we said we weren't totally convinced.
Other nostalgic references within the Stella McCartney SS22 collection included body jewellery of chains and diamanté crystals, fishnet stockings, deconstructed denim and corsetry detailing, all of which punctuated a collection set to become her most responsible to date.
Ever the transparent designer, Stella's latest sustainable credentials were made public immediately after the show and revealed that 87% of the spring/summer 2023 collection was made with conscious materials. As for the show itself, the brand was keen to reiterate that the runway's carbon emissions were kept to a minimum, with the rest to be offset afterwards.
We stan a conscious queen. Particularly when the clothes are this good.
For more from Glamour UK's Fashion Editor Charlie Teather, follow her on Instagram @charlieteather.
