STELLA McCARTNEY’S choice of location for her show in the opulent surroundings of the Paris Opera House yesterday was in contrast to the stark minimalism and sexy sobriety of the clothes.
The return of tailoring has been a recurrent theme throughout the Paris collections and McCartney’s skill showed in the daywear details: in the notch on the lapel of a grey jacket, the inset of sheer on a black skirt or the bucket pockets on a grey A-line tunic.
Coats were clean and linear, sometimes sleeveless – the better to show a cashmere sweater underneath. But McCartney kept the look sporty and practical with quilted hoodies in cool colours and black and white hooded macs.
Such nip and tuck tailoring was tempered by the airiness of the evening wear where shifts of organza floated over skirts of flesh coloured sequins or dresses inset with transparent panels.
Another successful female designer, the Belgian Anne deMeulemeester showing in an old convent, made great use of iridescent cock feathers and bold silver jewellery to accent her sleek black and grey tailoring with its neo-Edwardian shapes and flourishes. Hers is a steady hand and a distinctly recognisable signature and the layering of black waistcoats over greatcoats or silver vests looked assured and sophisticated. New this season was an injection of colour into her familiar monochrome in the form of cropped trenchcoats of cold red leather.
The handful of Irish designers showcasing their winter collections here like Joanne Hynes and knitter Lucy Downes also includes Florence-based Pauric Sweeney, whose handbag collection grows apace each season. Ninety-five per cent of his business is done in Paris with buyers coming from all over the world and this season he is offering more than 170 styles and new shapes.
"It's much more optimistic now", he told The Irish Times. "I expect to do between €1-2 million worth of sales here and we are up 20 per cent on last season. We did something like this in Milan, but buyers wait (for Paris) to make purchases. Product reigns, and innovative product is paramount to success."