Stella McCartney: Town & Country
By Mari Davis

PARIS, Mar 9, 2004/ FW/ --- When you lead a fabulous life like Stella McCartney, and spend time between your town house and country home, then you will need two sets of clothes, one for the city and one for the bucolic.

And that was what Stella had in mind last Sunday when she presented her Fall 2004 collection at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts.

Starting with big bulky quilted jackets made of microfiber, cashmere wraps, denim walking shorts, Stella dressed her ladies for a countryside jaunt, keeping them warm and well protected from the elements.

She even shod them in high-heeled sneakers, which morphed into army boots at times. And though I doubt that these ladies will go fishing, their over-the-knee rubber boots can easily cross the streams frequently found in the countryside.

And when these ladies go back to the city, Stella was ready for them too, with her 1940s inspired silk dresses with gilded insets at the hips and shoulders.

In short, Stella McCartney wants to make sure that her fans would have a complete wardrobe come fall.

As homage to her outgoing Gucci bosses, Stella dedicated her show “To Tom & Dom,” the pair responsible for Stella launching her own label in 2002.

With all the uncertainty at the Gucci Group right now, Stella does not have anything to worry about. Her accessories alone will keep on the registers ringing come fall.

The resounding applause she received from the audience that included her husband Allistair Willis, dad Paul McCartney and his wife Heather Mills, and friend Kate Moss is a good sign that Stella has a winner with this collection.

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney