Stella McCartney's sunglasses-heavy front row once again threatened to overshadow her Paris fashion show. The line up featured rock 'n' roll royalty, in the form of her dad, a supermodel, Kate Moss, and Mario Testino, photographer to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Sir Paul's girl has had a phenomenal year, having kitted out Britain's Olympians in trendy yet functional sports gear. Then there was her nomination for Best Designer for this year's British Fashion Awards and the news that sales at her eponymous label rose 19 percent in 2011.
And the collection for spring/summer 2013 reflected the upbeat mood and positivity of a designer who's on the up. According to Stella, the future's bright, the future's orange.... and electric blue and green as well. Her models wore slouchy, easy drop-waisted shirt dresses in this vibrant palette, stalking the catwalk with a masculine attitude.
There was also sprinkling of sheer, transparent material, giving a ying and yang feel. Another delicate note came in the form of tea dresses in peach and broderie anglaise. "Really, it was a conversation between a man and a woman, taking the boldness, the crispness, the fragility," explained Stella afterwards.