Stella brings the beach to the city

Stella McCartney’s cure for a stressed-out city summer is to summon the spirit of the beach.

From airy white dresses inspired by Victorian lingerie to loosened up man-tailored suits, McCartney’s spring-summer 2005 line unveiled in Paris was all about breezy confidence.

After her show on the floor of the French capital’s ornate old Stock Exchange, McCartney said she had striven to harness the freedom of a summer day at the seaside.

“To me it was about when you come out of the water in a bathing suit and you just grab a piece of fabric and you wrap it around you,” McCartney said backstage. “That sense of freedom that you feel when you’re on holiday and don’t feel people are watching you – and bringing that to a city.”

Batik prints surfaced on shirt-dresses, sarong-wrap trousers and a pretty sage and white button-down tank dress.

Earth-toned or white baggy blouses in cotton voile slipped off the shoulder like a shirt borrowed from a boyfriend’s closet that is comfortable and subtly seductive.

“I love that. It’s sexy when you have movement between fabric and body,” the designer said.

But looser forms were always paired with a delicate structured tailoring to create a contrast that flattered.

Oversized Victorian lingerie was the basis for white and pale blue cotton dresses with intricate lace inlay that oozed femininity. The silhouette was loose and freeform, with a dropped waist and full skirts or a smoother line with a light ruffle trim.

If the collection had an air of country innocence, it was tinged with street chic and drew hearty applause from McCartney’s faithful celebrity fans.

Gwyneth Paltrow, in the front row, tapped her knee-high stiletto boots in time with remixed rap tunes as the models legged down the runway in heeled wooden-soled espadrilles. Seated nearby were movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and photographer Nan Goldin.

“I loved it,” Goldin said after the show. “The use of fabric is incredible.”

“She makes things flow on the human body in a way that has real respect for women’s bodies.”

Man-styled suits were remodelled with a sassy edge, like an oversized pale grey waistcoat and matching full-leg trousers worn long with wide cuffs.

For evening, white baggy silk trousers came with a cotton voile tank or a slim-fitting white blazer. A satiny tuxedo jacket was cropped and snug. Silky pants were also worn low-waisted and loose, but tapered at the ankle with a cuff. Some evening wear sparkled with delicate rhinestone details.

Beachwear was high-cut at the leg in stretchy cotton. Teeny bikinis were decorated with lattice-worked tops. One-piece suits had scooped-out ovals in the centre.