An Evening with Stella McCartney at Harvey Nichols
On Wednesday 6th November 2013, Style Icon had the privilege of meeting Stella McCartney up close and personal to congratulate her on the launch of her new SS14 Collection in Harvey Nichols. The evening began in the Stella McCartney boutique where guests were welcomed by the Style Icon herself. On arrival, guests also received a glass of champagne whilst admiring her wonderful collection. It was refreshing to see (during the autumn/winter time) beautiful silk fabrics, feminine dresses, bright colours and tailored suits; all pieces looked suitable for women of all sizes. The signature themes that seem to run through the collection were floral prints, snake skin effect coats, and androgynous tailoring particularly on Stella McCartney’s jackets with lapels featuring the animal motif! ‘Lips’ are a prominent feature in her collection which appeared on her clutch bags, dresses and a beautifully embellished t-shirt with the ‘lip’ motif.
The second part of the evening took place on the 5th floor in Harvey Nichols where Stella McCartney was interviewed by Vogue Magazine after which the audience were able to ask questions about the collection. One question that stood out in particular was “How do you manage to balance life, work and social affairs?” Indeed, this question ran through my mind as Stella McCartney is a force to be reckoned with. She was quite right in saying that she maintains a healthy relationship between work and family life as the latter appears to be her rock, her inspiration and the key to finding happiness in her work life, and keeping a solid foundation!! She also added that keeping to a healthy lifestyle is also part of her success.
An evening with Stella McCartney was an inspiration not only because she is a British Designer to be proud of and who has international acclaim, and that her designs are worn by Hollywood Royalty but because in the midst of it all Stella McCartney remains true to herself, and is very grounded! It’s so easy to get lost in fame and fortune when it’s easy for normality to become a distant memory. In Stella McCartney’s case, and as a classic example to follow, normality is the key to staying focused and nurturing your roots with changing and testing times; knowing what you want to achieve in the future but not forgetting where you came from.
