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• Fashion news 2012: Stella McCartney launches her autumn 2012 collection in New York

  
  12 January 2012
  

  Stella McCartney's in-between seasons presentations are always something to look forward to. Her autumn 2012 collection was held in New York, at One If By Land, Two If By Sea, a restaurant often voted the most romantic in the city. Models wandered around the candlelit cocktail party drinking champagne and playing pool and backgammon.

  

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  The roaring fires, huge bouquets of flowers, photography books and a jazz band playing in the corner, meant McCartney's presentation felt more like a convivial house party, not a stress inducing rushed runway show. There were vegan hors d'oeuvres. McCartney's autumn accessories collection - also vegan - were on display in a room overlooking a winter garden.

  

  The vignettes within the collection were inspired in turn by the history of monograms, and an equestrian theme; modern silhouettes and exquisite embroidered lace cocktail dresses in pale lemon, black and white.

  

  "This is the evening cocktail section which is a really beautiful embroidered lace, with a trompe l'oeil play as well," McCartney told The Telegraph . "For me it's really important to try and master cocktail and evening wear in a way that you actually want to wear it and you don't feel old. It's important for you to wear the clothes and for them not to wear you."

  Pointing at an embroidered lace organza and chiffon cocktail dress worn by one of the models, she said, "This is a gorgeous dress, it's got sheerness, it's still very forgiving, and I wanted to play around with colour combination.

  "For me it's just very luxurious and it's got grown-up touch to it but it's still very contemporary. The silhouettes are quite modern, they are not in your face but you still have enough to talk about. It's important as a woman if you are going to something you want to stand out - but you don't want to scream out."

  2012 will be an extremely busy year for McCartney. She calculates she'll be putting on about a show a month, including a collection as part of London Fashion Week (the British fashion industry would dearly love to see McCartney abandon Paris for her main line collections.)

  Will McCartney return to London for good? At this, she neatly changes the subject to point out the embroidered monograms on an electric blue structural jacket passing by on a model.

  And what of her designs for the London Olympics Team GB's uniforms? "I am really excited about it, but as we get closer to it we can talk more," she demurs.

  (telegraph fashion news)