Stella McCartney Paris show is a whistle-stop tour of her life

Stella McCartney Paris show is a whistle-stop tour of her life A spot of ‘equine therapy’ marks Chinese year of the horse as designer turns fashion week show into a moment S peaking after her show at Paris fashion week , the British designer Stella McCartney marked 25 years in the industry by letting slip that she was to receive the most prestigious French accolade, the Légion d’honneur, on Thursday – and making a jumper using yeast. Never mind that she has not turned a profit since 2017 . The fashion designer knows how to turn a show into a moment, opening with “some equine therapy” in the form of a dozen dancing horses to mark the Chinese year of the horse, and closing it with a vest that said “My dad’s a rock star” in front of a grinning Paul McCartney who sat front row next to Oprah Winfrey. The collection was a whistle-stop tour of McCartney’s life. Fishermen knits were a nod to a childhood spent on the Mull of Kintyre; loose low-rise denim (recycled, of course) to being a teenager in west London; and jewel-coloured stirrup leggings to interning at Christian Lacroix. The finale vest was a nod to the 1999 “rock royalty” one she wore to the Met Gala. “I was trying to think who I could get to wear but I think I’m one of the very few, quite frankly,” she said. In a flat luxury market, there are fears her brand could run out of money by 2028. But McCartney was more keen to press that she was one of the few women designing for women, and that her label has never used leather, feathers, fur or animal skins. In fairness, while almost every show nods in some way towards “sustainability” these days, only McCartney has turned brewed protein into knitwear. In another industry milestone, Pieter Mulier took his final bow at Alaïa on Wednesday night, a quiet moment that carried some weight coming shortly before he steps into one of fashion’s most scrutinised jobs: replacing Donatella at Versace. Asked if he was ready for the job, the softly spoken Belgian who, before joining ...