On the second day of , Stella McCartney took Kate Moss, Cameron Diaz and Brigitte Macron to the fourth floor of a tower block, where she turned an imaginary office space into a full-on 80s glamour assault.

Hemlines were high, but the thigh-tracing boots peeking out from under suits were somehow higher. Pole dancers spun in crystal leotards by photocopiers, and through lace tights we even got a bare bottom. “I wanted to bring the sexy back,” said McCartney backstage. “It’s all legal!”





The idea, said McCartney, “was a bold day-to-night wardrobe for the working woman – and our company is 90% women”. However, apart from the broad-shouldered suits and hooded coats, the emphasis was on skin-tight gowns and lipstick-red partywear.





Last month, McCartney bought back the minority stake held since 2019 by the . Though she remains an ambassador on sustainability there, it was the first time she has been an independent designer since graduating.

Show days are tense for any designer – it’s not simply about balancing the eco-books, it’s about selling clothes. But judging by the front row, the party isn’t over – it just looks a little greener.

Earlier that day, The Row won over the fashion crowd, not with a trend but a tuck. A blue shirt half-tucked and slightly to one side, it demonstrated that fashion is as much about how you wear the clothes as the clothes themselves.

Founded in 2006 by the former child actors Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, this brand is as well known for its interpretations of everyday items – shirts, scarves, ballet flats – as it is for its four-figure price tags. The pair rarely give interviews and for the second year running attenders were asked to “refrain from capturing or sharing any content during your experience” – borderline sacrilege for the TikTok generation.

The clothes were chic and monastic. Coats came cocoon-shaped. Forked scarves hung from six types of trenchcoat. None of the models wore shoes, just tights. A quieter more rarefied type of luxury, but one that still appeals to an awful lot of women.
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