Sometimes designers unwittingly punish their consumers by creating clothes that are difficult to wear, shoes that are hard to walk in, and accessories best left to the incredibly young or incredibly eccentric. Not so on the Stella McCartney runway. She dresses women in pleasing, feminine shapes, and in strong tweeds and confident colors. Her stretchy dresses, cozy coats, and patterned sweaters are strong and wearable. Plus, they transition easily from day to night, from office to dinner party, from school to date night. There is a thoughtful balance to her latest collection, and though it broke no style barriers, it actually provided some much desired relief in a sea of avant-garde and expensive clothes that are one-time use only. Her first looks, covered in florid floral embroidery, were more decorative than usual. McCartney favors minimalism to an extreme, and it was nice to see some controlled embellishment on her runway. Tone-on-tone vines emboss several of the earlier looks as well, and a tapestry print shows up later in the show. Her outerwear consisted of smock coats with high-necked organza collars in a clean oversized silhouette, roomy tuxedo blazers, and tweed jackets with contrast color lapels. We spied a few tennis dresses in the mix, and there was definitely a sportif mode beckoning to the athletic-wear side of things – perhaps a nod to McCartney’s recent work designing uniforms for the British Olympics team. There was a waffle weave knit on two looks that looked soft and dreamy. Padded hips provided an ample hourglass figure on several streamlined dresses. This modern, wearable collection will allow you to breathe easy, removing the guesswork out of more complicated offerings from Paris Fashion Week. Kitted out in McCartney clothes, one simply has to choose a chic accessory or two for a completely of-the-moment look.

written by GRACE GORDON|photos: courtesy of GoRunway