Stella McCartney’s humor, passion, style

There’s so much to feel good about in a Stella McCartney show. In her Fall collection, ever-imaginative styles used artful deconstruction to produce a fresh fusion of menswear and womenswear styles.

A man’s suit was turned inside out and turned into a fluid dress with bare seams. Suit pants were cut at the knee as if they’d been guillotined. And a minimalist gray waistcoat featured a chic couture-like peplum silhouette.

Statement knitwear was a key theme. Traditional Aran sweaters in big cable knit hit a surreal note in multicolor with huge sleeves that made the arms completely disappear.

McCartney, a famed vegan, thus proved you don’t need fur to be glamorous and stay warm in winter.

The 46 styles were served up with an uplifting, foot-tapping soundtrack that provoked a moment of humor.

“Where the hell’s my phone?” it boomed out. “You’re holding it.”

IPhone-addicted influencers smiled in a moment of self-reflection.

Elle Fanning and the ’90s at Miu Miu

Actress Elle Fanning surprised fashion insiders when she took a turn as a model on Miu Miu’s runway.

It wasn’t the only surprise at designer Miuccia Prada’s little sister brand, which was color-rich and replete with unexpected, imaginative twists.

The ’90s was the decade in vogue this season, and a wide shoulder was the key silhouette.

Bleached denim jeans and a coat with a round shape gave way to a golden brown trench with a bright yellow handbag and drainpipe check pants. Colors were used discordantly.

Humor was everywhere: A buff colored jacket with exaggerated shoulders shimmered like plastic and was created to appear intentionally synthetic, despite its obvious high price.

Valentino’s flower women

Flowers and romance were in the air at Valentino, metaphorically speaking.

In a literal sense, there also was the sweltering heat owing to the conservatory show venue, which had giant tropical green plants lining the sides of the runway.

The decor cross-pollinated into the clothes as designer Pierpaolo Piccioli took an unusually minimalist turn.

Blooms were a big theme.

They came on motifs, embroideries, large tulip-shaped sleeves and surreal flower-shaped hoods that evoked the Parisian couture styles of the 1950s.

Beginning in monochrome and moving into flashes of deep sunshine, pale yellow, pea green and Cerulean blue, a semicircle “frill” motif adorned hems and went down the front in one loose white gown. It cleverly evoked the shell shapes ubiquitous on the barriers at the sides of flower beds.

Givenchy’s dark glamour

Beyond designer Clare Waight Keller’s gentle manner lies a powerful creative psyche that’s dark, brooding and gritty.

That revelation was brought into focus with the strong collection for Givenchy in which the British designer shed her usual politeness and delved deep into the night.

Big fur coats with stylish statement markings opened the collection alongside unfurling cuffed boots in soft leather that evoked the feeling of being hurriedly put on.

The sharp-edged styles which included big floppy leather belts in brown, black and tan, houndstooth suits with razor shoulders, as well as zebra and leopard prints set the time dial to the late ’80s.

A spattering of menswear styles was a nice complement to the urban grit including an oversize white coat and marl jacket underneath that captured the heady days of the Rolling Stones’ guitarist Keith Richards.

The collection shows that Waight Keller is growing in confidence at the storied label.

Alexander McQueen’s

metamorphosis

Transformation was at the core of Sarah Burton’s fashion ode Monday night.

The Alexander McQueen designer used the idea of the metamorphosing insect a softly armored Scarab beetle or a butterfly and creatively flew with it.

Silk dresses with a vivid, all-encompassing butterfly print gave way to unfurling black leather bustiers and sections of colorful material that peeped out underneath a black tuxedo like butterfly wings emerging from a black cocoon.

But the roving imaginative explorations were handled tightly. It was a collection that stuck closely to the house’s signature silhouettes of strong shoulders, narrow waists and exaggerated hip sections.

The idea of the insect transformation was also metaphorical from designer Sarah Burton, who’s known as an “intellectual” designer. It produced the strongest parts of the collection.