Stella McCartney dabbles in art at eco-pioneering Paris show

PARIS (AP) — It was as much art fair as fashion show for Stella McCartney, who put on an art-infused spring collection at Paris Fashion Week on Monday vibrating with flashes of color.

Iconic Japanese contemporary artist Yoshitomo Nara collaborated on the designs showcased outside the Pompidou Center Modern Art Museum, while sculptor Jeff Koons casually popped in to say ‘hello’ to McCartney post-show across an atelier of world-famous sculptures by Constantin Brancusi.

McCartney's eco-conscious display also pioneered the use of regenerative cotton.

Here are some highlights of the spring-summer 2023 collections in Paris:

STELLA GOES ARTSY

A yellow, red and blue carpeted runway dazzled VIP guests for designer Stella McCartney’s fashion show in the outdoor courtyard of Paris’ Pompidou Center — a set created in homage to the art museum’s famed colored, structuralist exterior in the background.

This vibrancy continued in the spring fare that was typically fluid and sporty, with moments of bright color.

This season, chic garments such as asymmetrical white mini-dresses cut on the bias, or tight pink scuba tops with a scooped side silhouette, were the canvas for Nara’s vivid imagination. On the front of them, the Japanese artist created striking images of big-eyed girls and children in animal costumes, which the house described as “sinister.”

The most-fun looks were in all-out color, such as a stiff chalky yellow scuba top and pant look accessorized with bouncy black flip-flops and a blown up handbag. That cut a fine look against the bright yellow catwalk and had fashion insiders reaching for their cameras.

ECO-MCCARTNEY MAKES REGENERATIVE COTTON

Speaking backstage after greeting her supportive Beatles father Paul McCartney, the designer said she was “chuffed” that this...