Stella McCartney makes 'trashy' look chic in her latest Paris fashion week show

Stella McCartney may show during Paris fashion week, but she hasn't lost her British sense of humour. A fact that became apparent when the invitation for her SS18 show arrived - a roll of logo-printed rubbish bags, labelled ‘trashion bags’ (100% recycled, as you'd expect from activist McCartney). At the show this morning, where Kylie Monogue and Alexa Chung sat front row, all became clear: and thankfully, this wasn't a literal nod to trash, a la Zoolander’s derelicte. Instead, McCartney did ‘trashy’ in the 80s sense.

Denim was stonewashed, then coloured highlighter pink, green and blue. Long taffeta skirts sprouted from underneath oversized jersey t-shirts, and inflated silhouettes varied from an oversized boiler suit in tobacco brown to trousers that curved out around the legs to be drawn it at the ankle with elastic toggle ties. Shoulders gathered at the seam for a hint of curve and exaggeration, but with none of the extremity of this summer’s puffed sleeves- practically speaking, that means you can layer a jacket over them to suit the British climate. There were even bumbags, but looped like dashes across the body, they were as elegant as it's possible for bumbags to be.

 There were flashes of the pared-back tailoring that McCartney does so well - cream or navy and black layered together - suits, jumpsuits and simple dresses. Leopard print was understated and evening-appropriate in black devore, as both a dress and a skirt layered over a ruched black top and scrunched down boots both in faux leather- McCartney, who never uses leather because of her support of PETA and animal rights, calls the material ‘alter nappa’.

It's a material that featured heavily in McCartney’s collection, and with good reason: rather than eschewing the leather trend altogether, she is offering an animal free alternative (two, in fact- there is also ‘alter nubuck’). And it seems that she's meeting a growing demand. While her shoes cost between £350 and £700, they are so desirable that they often outsell the ready to wear collection- not in spite of their ‘faux’ fabrications, but because of them.

Millennials are shopping with an eye to sustainability, and McCartney’s high-design fashion with a conscience ticks the box. There are low-heel courts, ruffled peep toes, and crocodile-embossed chunky flat sandals trimmed with gold chain. And whether you're keen to shop ethically or not, they are, honestly, very good.