by Grace Gordon

Stella McCartney’s vision for fall/winter fuses futuristic shapes with dressed down elegance. While this seems like an odd pairing, it is perfectly in keeping with her masculine/feminine theme – a theme we’ve seen a lot on the FW runways. Dolce & Gabbana recently showed extreme contrasts in this same vein. McCartney too embraces a boundary pushing the idea of dual sexuality and fluid gender identity on her runway, but with more composure and sophistication.

The outerwear on the runway featured sloping shoulders and a baggy silhouette and came outfitted in space age Mylar print or in plain shades of black and white. Big sleeves and exaggerated shoulders emboldened the shapes of the masculine influenced coats and blazers in this collection. The feminine side of the coin featured abstract print dresses, and sheer tulle frocks scattered liberally with polka dot confetti. When the silhouettes weren’t oversize and bulky, they were streamlined and snug in the case of the body conscious velvet and polka dot numbers. McCartney’s talent for reducing her collection down to a tightly edited mixture of cohesive – if contrasting – styles is what makes her collections a refreshing take on the trends year after year.