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MILAN, Italy — There is something wonderfully low-key about the way Stella McCartney approaches menswear. She does not revert to the big concept or the grand idea in order to create a fortuitous narrative. On the contrary, she's perfectly happy with delivering a no-nonsense wardrobe of practical pieces — sportswear, and some seriously tempting tailoring — with her trademark quirky twist. Stella was looking radiant yesterday at her lively presentation in Milano. She has every reason to: since getting fully back into her own hands, her label is living a very positive moment.
"I like my man to be a bit punk, very musically inclined," she said, drawing comparisons with the Stella woman, knowing well that many pieces could swing in one direction or the other. The presentation, apropos, featured a smattering of looks from women's Resort.
The collections were both inspired by We Are the Weather, the forthcoming book about "saving the planet at breakfast" by American author Jonathan Safran Foer, with whom she also collaborated.
The men's, however was possibly punchier, thanks to the militaristic jumpsuits in earth prints, practical outerwear and animal-print suits. It made for an appealing line-up of looks that did not remotely resemble extravagant fashion.
"I hate the idea of just talking to fashion people," said McCartney, candidly. She has a unique way of working bold ideas into quasi-normal pieces that can reach a wide, transversal audience, looking neither generic, nor forced. Now, that's an accomplishment.
