Stella comes to town

Celebrated British designer Stella McCartney, who most recently made headlines with her uniforms for Great Britain’s London Olympic team, brings her outfits to Bangkok with the recent opening of her flagship boutique at the Erawan Bangkok.
The new and well-appointed space on the shopping mall’s first floor illustrates her signature style combo of sharpness and femininity yet offers shoppers an intimate and personal ambience. The gallery floor boasts a bespoke herringbone pattern designed by Raw Edges in Stella McCartney's colour palette of plums, pale pinks, blush, nudes and taupe. The designer's ready-to-wear collections are hung on an array of delicate brushed brass sculptural fixtures, on a backdrop of pale grey, textured Venetian plastered walls, while accessories are displayed on alcove shelving and white hand-glazed rhombus tile plinths.
The store will carry the brand’s luxury women's ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, sunglasses, lingerie and kids collections.
The latest collection for autumn and winter 2012 collection was featured at the grand opening, which was decorated to reflect an English garden atmosphere. Yeda Yun, merchandising director of the brand, was on hand from London to explain the designer’s inspirations.
For her new collection, the designer emphasises bold marble prints, swirling tones of blues, greens and gold in playful exaggerated volumes and contoured silhouettes in black, white and navy with gold accessories. Delicate lace is vibrant and rich, embroidered in shocking orange and cobalt blue. Accessories mirror the collection with platform pumps and elongated clutches, while jewellery is oversized in gold with coloured gems and faceted plexi.
“Born and raised in London and the English countryside, Stella loves animals, especially horses,” says Yun. “The collection plays on preppy Americana combined with equestrian English sensibilities in a neutral palette punctuated with ultra blue, shocking orange, evergreen and metallics.”
Monogram thread work embroidery is stamped boldly on tailored pieces and teamed with monogram print separates. Eveningwear is in metallic brocade enhanced by embroidered lace while a smoking tuxedo shimmers with a silver metallic brocade jacket set off by a duchess shawl collar.
“Since Stella is a very strict vegetarian, she doesn’t use any leather in her product designs. All bags and shoes are made of fabric, which undergoes a special technique to create a leather-like look,” Yun explains. The new Bailey shoe has a sustainable wooden platform and comes in black, cognac, gold brocade and khaki. Bags complement the collection with a long striped box faux suede clutch with buckle detail and the Grace bag scaled down into a mini satin clutch. Brass signet rings feature a crest from the monogram prints.
Stella McCartney Kids also launches its autumn- winter 2012 collection in Bangkok with fun, modern and playful styles for girls, boys and babies ranging in age from newborns up to 14 years. The new collection unites the spirit and energy of children, while continuing to reflect the designer’s signature modern aesthetic and ethical values. Stella’s signature muted colour palette is mixed with vibrant patch prints and bold colour blocking in a variety of contrasting colours such as forest green, toadstool red, boat blue and bubblegum pink. Humorous printed t-shirts include balloon cats, horses with butterfly wings, glow-in-the-dark monsters and the Stella McCartney Kids bus. Dots feature throughout the girl’s collection.

Stella McCartney now operates 17 freestanding stores. Her collections are now distributed in more than 50 countries through 600 wholesale accounts including speciality shops and department stores. In addition to the main line collection, a long-term partnership with Adidas was introduced in September 2004 and has successfully grown to include several athletic disciplines including running, gym, yoga, tennis, swimming, golf, winter sports and cycling. For the Olympic Summer Games in 2012, Stella McCartney was appointed Team GB’s Creative Director by Adidas - the first time in the history of the games that a leading fashion designer has designed the apparel for a country’s team across all competitions for both the Olympic and the Paralympic Games.