Paris Fashion Week: Stella McCartney's first collection as boss

Jumpsuits were the order of the day at Stella McCartney’s catwalk show during Paris Fashion Week on Monday, with skin-tight floral numbers contrasting with more laid-back, wide-legged boiler suit styles in white and blue tie-dye prints.

The spring and summer 2019 collection is the first since the British designer, known for her environmentally friendly approach to fashion, said she was buying back full control of her namesake brand from the French luxury group Kering.

“You don’t take that decision lightly. It’s something that I’ve taken incredibly seriously, and it’s been a long process,” McCartney said of her plans to go it alone with the brand, after 17 years of her joint venture with Kering. The split should be final by March 2019.

“Having control of the company is important when your name is above the door, and I think if you have that option it’s rude not to.”

Models strutted under the shimmering mosaic ceilings in the corridors of Paris’s Opera Garnier. McCartney’s latest outing featured a ruffled shell suit in recycled nylon and handbags made from faux leather. Pale suits with combat-style trousers for the men followed oversized linen suits for women, interspersed with flirtier mini-dresses in brightly coloured knitted lace. – Reuters