DAME EDNA AND STELLA TURNS LONDON ON!

STELLA McCARTNEY BOUTIQUE LONDON - BRUTON STREET HOLIDAYLIGHTSStella McCartney held her holiday lighting ceremony at her boutique on Bruton Street in London last night, and it didn't disappoint.   Stella has made the annual event the hippest and hottest place to light the lights by bringing her unique sense of humor and levity to the world of designer fashion.   This year the one and only Dame Edna Everadge was master of ceremonies.  DAME EDNA (BARRY HUMPHRIES) & STELLA McCARTNEY - BRUTON STREET HOLIDAY LIGHTING Created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, Dame Edna is legendary for her personality that is somewhere between the Queen herself and Mrs. Bucket from "Keeping Up Appearances".  STELLA McCARTNEY HOLIDAY LIGHTS - BRUTON STREET, LONDON - IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS! Dame Edna was so popular in the 80's and 90's that her network television holiday specials were tops in the ratings.   Humphries and Edna are currently on their farewell world tour -Eat, Pray, Laugh.  Currently in London.  

All the fashionable Brits were there - Dame Judy Dench, Sienna Miller, etc.   Also a few billionaire wives like Salma Hayek were in holiday spirits.  (Salma looks good - that skincare line of hers at CVS must work!)STELLA McCARTNEY WITH SALMA HAYEK IN LONDON

Of course, the Stella McCartney boutique is a destination for the famous, the fashion, and the fun every day of the year.. but even more so during the holiday season.   Still holiday shopping?  Get to the Stella McCartney boutique near you NOW.. they're all over the world now,you know?  #BRAVOSTELLA

STELLA'S GARDEN PARTY - SPRING 2012

STELLA McCARTNEY SPRING 2012- PH: PAMELA BERKOVICWith the Fall weather getting closer day by day, I'm fondly thinking about a magical afternoon this Spring that was the official kick off to Summer in NYC.   Fashion designer Stella McCartney stayed true to her British roots and staged the ultimate garden party in New York's West Village.   McCartney is known for her understated style and laid back attitude on-and-off the runway.   While most fashion events are stuffy and uptight, team McCartney is able to create an easy atmosphere that comes off cool and chic.   When Stella has a party, you know you are going to have a good time! Who else could make shaved ice, ping pong, and scrabble a backdrop for a runway collection?

There is an authenticity to these events, that just can't be staged.  Partly due to the fact that the parties are always full of Stella's own friends.  And when your friends and family are rock legends and movie stars, there is hardly room (or reason) for getting a big head.ph: PAMELA BERKOVIC 

For Spring 2012, Stella gave us bright colors and intricate prints styled in the signature mix & match combinations that first made McCartney famous.  It was her re-launch of the sleeping French classic  Chloe collection in the late 90's that made headlines.  STELLA McCARTNEY SPRING 2012 - PH: PAMELA BERKOVIC Stella set the fashion world on fire with a mix of fine tailoring and fluid soft shapes.   For Spring 2012, we find bright horizontal stripes worn back to exotic Hawaiian prints.  The collection is full of items that can truly be worn back to pieces shoppers already own.  *This has always been one of the secrets to Stella's success*.  She knows how women shop and never loses sight that the coolest customers build their wardrobe piece by piece. 

The party at St. Luke's in the Field was a breath of fresh air.  Models played croquet, guests drank Guinness, and Stella's friends were able to relax in the private garden setting.   Liv Tyler, Naomi Watts, & Bono  (to name a few!) all stopped by to show their support.  The garden was decorated with small displays of accessories and shoes that became part of the beautiful garden of St. Luke's in the Field.  (This famous garden, open to the public, was featured in the motion picture Doubt with Meryl Streep).

Guests of the party were given a living rose bush on the way out the door via a flower cart, a subtle nod to Stella's passion for sustainable fashion and her effort to make the world a Greener place.   This devout vegan is the only designer working with a major fashion comglomerate (PPR) that does not useROSES FROM STELLA PH: JASON JOBSON leather in any part of her collections.   Bravo Stella!  ST. LUKE'S IN THE FIELD PH: JASON JOBSON

Visit Stella McCartney to view the full collection - and Net-a-Porter to shop the current collection.  

** Stella McCartney NYC  moves to Soho this Fall **

Special thanks to team Stella and the very talented photographer- Pamela Berkovic.

SAKS WELCOMES STELLA

SAKS 5TH AVENUE FLAGSHIP WINDOWS LINING 5TH AVENUE

Stella McCartney certainly knows how to make an impression.  The British designer just had a week that most designers can only dream of.   Stella blew into town and started the week co-hosting Anna Wintour's annual Vogue Met Gala.   Late designer Alexander McQueen is the honoree of this years retrospective at the Met's Costume Institute.  Dressing a staggering number of red carpet beauties from Madonna to Rihanna, Stella stole the show! S-T-E-L-L-A SPELLS FUN AT SAKS 5TH AVENUE Read all about the red carpet extravaganza - STELLA at the MET

Amazingly, that spectacular night was just the beginning for Britain's most prolific designer.  Wednesday night Stella was just down 5th Avenue, at Saks 5th Avenue to be precise.  The legendary department store rolled out their red carpet at the famous flagship location as they unveiled the new Stella McCartney Boutique on the second floor.STELLA FALABELLA BAGS AT SAKS 5TH AVENUE

The boutique is beautiful and the mood was festive and relaxed.   The brand is famous for casual cool events that always attract a hipster crowd with an eye for fashion.   Popcorn,  balloons, and park benches really brought a little London charm to the heart of NYC.  (Of course there were Pimm's Cups all around!). 

Artist Jeff Koons and actress/ model Liv Tyler were also on hand to fete their friend as she opened her new boutique. 

Also at the party was one ofJASON JOBSON & LIZ LEE AT STELLA OPENING AT SAKS New Yorks' own famous fashion icons.   American legend Geoffrey Beene always insisted on having all of his one of a kind runway gowns shown on model - Liz Lee.   Liz is as beautiful today as she was in the 80's.   She is also a ray of sunshine and has a heart of gold!

The evolution of the SM collection has happened before our eyes.  Stella burst on the international scene by becoming the "young British girl" to take the reigns at French House Chloe back in the late 90's.  Legend Karl Lagerfeld was leaving the house for the second time and had practically driven the collection into the ground due to his infamous battles with management -(only 1 U.S. retailer was still buying by that time).    Stella's mix and match sensibility and injection of menswear tailoring into the very feminine skirt suit collection was ahead of it's time and a smash hit!.STELLA McCARTNEY & LIV TYLER

15 years later - my how things have changed.   Stella is now a powerful women in her own right,  with her own collection.   Now married with four children, this very busy fashion icon has developed a message and a core customer.   What was once a group of great items is now a serious runway collection.    Keep in mind that Stella has been a game changer in the industry by insisting that the collection be leather free. JASON JOBSON after 3 Pimms Cups & STELLA McCARTNEY This was unheard of in the world of accessories and shoes - before Stella McCartney anyway.  Her Falabella Bag is a total must have! (American menswear designer John Bartlett has also become passionate about obstaining from the use of leather and fur).

The naturally stained and sustainable wood planks underfoot in the Stella Saks boutique carries through the concept of her magnificent new flagship space in Las Vegas at the Crystals Shopping Center.  

While Stella has always been a destination for great knitwear or perfectly tailored pants, the Met Gala is sure to make her a dress and gown resource.  Those famous ladies on the red carpet never looked more beautiful!

To find out more about the Stella McCartney collection at Saks - click SAKS or to shop her collection on-line, click  NET-A-PORTER now.

WILD HORSES IN LAS VEGAS CRYSTALS

Stella McCartney is the English Rose of the fashion industry.   Originally known as the young British girlSTELLA McCARTNEY - MOTHERHOOD BECOMES HER given the role of revamping the French fashion house Chloe back in 1997, Stella really set the fashion world on fire.  McCartney brought with her a sense of British Tweeds and tailoring to a very French collection that was known for skirt suits and pastel colors.   The results were legendary as Chloe once again became the hottest collection in the fashion world.  (The label was dying a slow death under Karl Lagerfeld's second tenure at the house that had made him internationally known).   Stella's ironic sense of mix and match fabrics  and prints with tweeds was ahead of the curve and set the standard for any collection that was to be deemed young or relevant.STELLA McCARTNEY BLOOMS AT CRYSTALS IN LAS VEGAS

Fast forward 14 years and Stella McCartney, the brand, is a global fashion empire.   Ten years into a partnership with PPR, McCartney has 14 boutiques in major cities from L.A. to Hong Kong.  Wisely, McCartney has grown the company slowly.  Building on items as she found her voice.CRYSTAL CHANDELIER - STELLA McCARTNEY - LAS VEGAS  Projects with Adidas and H&M are just two examples of how Stella built her recognition,  and her reputation for knowing what Women want.    With the addition of fragrance, lingerie, skin care,  and most recently -children's wear to the brand, McCartney now has something for all aspects of the busy life her core customer lives.   The busy life she lives herself, as Stella now has a husband and four children.  Talk about multi-tasking.CITRUS PRINT - FALABELLA

In addition to all this, what Stella the Woman has, is conviction.   A lifelong Vegan, Stella refused to use leather in her collection of shoes and handbags.  This is no small achievement and in fact it is unprecedented in the world of luxury fashion.  Most Italian luxury brands were built on leather goods.  Houses like Gucci and Prada would not exist if it were not for the specialty leather items that Italy is so famous for.   To say that Stella was under pressure to use leather when she started her business would be an understatement.   Stella stuck to her guns.  It took longer to establish the categories, much longer in fact, but now in 2011 they are vibrant and growing collections.  The Falabella bag is a bonified hit and Stella has her first 'it" bag.  The latest version of the bag has the fruit print that was the center of the Summer runway collection.    

For the location of her third U.S. boutique,  Stella chose the hottest spot in sin city by LIMITED EDITION T-SHIRT -STELLA McCARTNEY- $195.00opening a beautiful store in the Crystal's at City Center in Las Vegas.  The multi-billion dollar complex is the most luxurious shopping center in the U.S., if not the world. 

The center piece of the 2,900 square foot boutique is "Lucky Spot", a chandelier made from 7,000 Swarovski crystals.   Named for the Appaloosa horse owned by Stella's mother, the chandelier is striking.  The use of the crystals in the Crystals is a chic tribute to the unique shopping center designed by Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell. 

To celebrate the opening, McCartney designed a T-shirt that screams Vegas - literally.   The limited edition shirt is $195, available only in Las Vegas and the perfect gift for any fashion fan on your list.  To contact the store click - VEGAS.

ADIDAS - All Day I Dream About STELLA

STELLA MCCARTNEYWhen you were a kid - you might have been tantalized by the school yard acronym of the sport collection by adidas.   We all knew the letters stood for All Day I Dream About Sex!   

These days it means something else to the fashion flock and to women who love active wear all day long.    All Day I Dream About Stella -Stella McCartney that is - or at least they dream about the pieces from her collection for adidas.ADIDAS BY STELLA MCCARTNEY

With everyone watching their spending for Spring - there is no better time to pick up a few pieces by the British designer as they are 1/10th of the price of her namesake rtw collection.  

Click on the website and start shopping!!   Stella McCartney for adidas