McCartney brings sport to London, flowers to Paris

By Kerstin Gehmlich Thu Oct 4, 1:30 PM ET

PARIS (Reuters) - Models in flower-power dresses strutted out from behind a leafy hanging garden in Stella McCartney's fashion show on Thursday, as her father, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, applauded proudly from the front row.

Just two weeks after having presented sleek fitness outfits for sportswear maker Adidas in London, the British designer rolled out a selection of romantic, ruffled floor-length dresses for her own line in the French capital.

"It was very sexy, very feminine," Paul McCartney said before disappearing behind a wall of ferns, brakes and sedges at the end of the catwalk to congratulate his daughter backstage. "She's the best!" he said.

McCartney, a strict vegetarian who does not use fur in her collections, said the vertical wall reflected her love of English country gardens.

The 36-year-old, pregnant with her third child, said she would donate the wall to a non-profit organization promoting urban ecology afterwards.

"You invest so much money in these shows. It would be a shame to throw it all away afterwards," she said backstage.

McCartney's ready-to-wear collection picked up on the nature theme, with some models walking out in long, floating dresses covered with flowery prints, and others presenting transparent, silky shirt dresses in shades of ivory or light blue.

McCartney's ex-Beatle dad took pictures from the front row as models in silky all-in-ones strutted over the catwalk.

PARIS GIRLS, LONDON GIRLS

McCartney's romantic outfits for next spring and summer struck a contrast with the tailored golfing shorts and the flirty tennis skirts she presented for Adidas in London.

Singer Lily Allen said she was a big fan of both McCartney collections, adding both London and Paris had their own defining style. The difference?

"London girls just got it," Allen told Reuters before the show, laughing. "(Paris girls) maybe less so," she joked.

Fashion label Celine, owned by LVMH, has been closely associated with the French capital, with Paris landmarks often featuring in its campaigns or as backdrops to catwalk shows.

On Thursday, Croatian designer Ivana Omazic, who was appointed at Celine in 2005, brought out models in brightly shimmering pink dresses and corset-style tops. One girl walked out in a dress held up by a sparkling metal choker.

"I used some materials and colors typically used in French couture, but linked them to more sporty shapes. So I was playing around with some cliches on French couture," Omazic said.

London fashion week, held two weeks before the Paris shows, had a special buzz this year with McCartney, Matthew Williamson and Luella, three of Britain's best known designers, returning from New York and Paris to stage one-off shows.

But Didier Grumbach, the head of France's fashion federation, said he was not worried about Paris losing its edge.

"Here in Paris, people have never presented second lines," he told Reuters. "If you have a second line, you have to present it in London or Milan. Paris is for first lines."